They may have been a bit quiet of late as a collective, but behind the scenes Underground Pilots have been rather busy… there’s organizing the local Icebreaker Festival, which in January this year took over local haunts along Albert Road, Southsea, with the planning of next year’s event already well underway (in fact as I type this the deadline for applicants is coming to a close), then as a band since original guitarist Tyrone Drinkwater left to go travelling they’ve hidden away to redefine their sound.
As of last month Underground Pilots re-emerged with a couple of gigs under their belt and are soon to appear on the seaside stage at this months Victorious Festival, so whilst I’ve yet to hear the new direction live here at Mr Teeth Reviews I’ve had the pleasure of a sneak preview in a recording of upcoming single “Cyanogen“.
If this song is anything to go by then fans of what has previously been a full on stoner rock band are in for a surprise, the seven minute track initially starts off with atmospheric guitars and along with the introduction of synths (which are a new addition for the pilots) musically sees a group evolving rather than just going through the motions of their past.
Vocally things appear to have changed too, it’s still Dudley Stagpool holding the mic but out goes the influence of 90’s Seattle Grunge and in with a Placebo‘s Brian Molko meets Tool/A Perfect Circle‘s Maynard James Keenan. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Underground Pilots do next, but if you’ve seen these guys before fear not as “Cyanogen” still has time to get a bit heavier so I’m sure the band aren’t ready to chill out just yet.
