PYNKIE - #37 (2020)

Not a lot of indie rockers have a side gig as an ortho/neuro nurse, but theres nothing typical about Lindsey Radice. Recording and performing as Pynkie, the New Jersey native brings her own distinct style, work ethic, and personality to her nursing and music career alike. Radices new album #37 is a breezy pleasure that runs deceptively deep, a rallying cry of joy and positivity. Lindsey Radice first came to the guitar at age eleven, sticking mostly to Led Zeppelin and AC/DC covers. But at eighteen, she began to write her own songs. They were mostly joke tunes, odes to her shower curtains, for example, with their little duck print pattern. As she began to record her songs, Radice discovered a deeper ambition, the need to tell her own story, though she never lost track of her playful side. What I love most about music is writing and recording, says Radice. Its fun and theres no rules about what you can write about or how to play it. You can do whatever the hell you want. And you might even change the game accidentally! Despite having no label, press, or publicity team, Radices first, self-produced album neoteny garnered her a substantial cult following. Her own lofi remix of neoteny standout Dew was streamed over 1.5 million times. The album caught the ear of Gorilla vs. Bear mastermind, Chris Cantalini, who featured it as one of the best of 2018. Her brand-new follow-up, #37, promises a continuation of that vibe, but also a significant step forward. Ive gotten opportunities to work in real recording studios with real equipment, says Radice. But, this is the first time Ive had my stuff mixed and mastered by somebody else. Its definitely a step up. Radice decamped on her days off to a small studio in Queens Rockaway Beach with bandmates John Messina and Josh Bartsch rounding out the lineup. They would meet whenever Radices nursing schedule would allow for it to experiment and find the perfect sound. I really loved the place where I was recording, Rockaway Beach Hut, says Radice. Its a fun, funky-looking studio with lots of cool and funny stuff sprinkled around it. Chris had this weird baby doll head thats also a light sensitive oscillator. I think that mightve made it on the record somewhere, haha. Though the vibes were good, and lots of songs got recorded, #37 took almost a year to complete, including a lengthy recording break in the middle of the process. I took some time away because I felt like I couldnt get it sounding the way I wanted, says Radice. And then the pandemic happened, which made being a nurse pretty hard for a bit. But we found a way to make the record work, and somehow everything got done in the last couple months. The result is an absolute joy of a record, a tour through Radices own sunlit world. Its a collage of daily life moments, delivered with a precision, skill, and an ear for hooks that shows the deep level of craft behind even the easiest-sounding moments.