Valentine’s Day is around the corner and Pink Dust’s “She” is a dreamy tune to get you in the mood. You can take from that what you will, but this track is seriously perfect for any romantic. Vocalist Cliff Littlefield's vocals come across tender, genuine, sentimental, and vulnerable over a soft melodic guitar part. With "She" the indie duo says they set out to write a love song that anyone could relate to and upon listening you'll realize that's exactly what they did. Paired with Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas, they really have you set for February 14th.
Tell me about the inspiration for “She.”
Cliff: It's kinda funny. We were talking about John Hughes movies and the music in them, and Roy had the idea of writing a song that would fit perfectly in one of them. Roy wrote the music first, and I was immediately taken with its melancholy that I associate with some of my favorite John Hughes films. From there, I simply tried not to mess it up. I really just tried to find a complementary melody and lyrics that reflect how we feel about the females in our lives.
Roy: The video was done by Van Velvet who is an amazing motion designer based in Barcelona, Spain.
Where do you draw your inspiration?
Cliff: It sounds cliché, but life gives me everything I need to write a song. The magical moments are when a song just writes itself. A riff or lyric begets another, and before you know it, a song emerges with even thinking about it. I try to embrace those moments when they happen. Another inspiration that cannot be overstated is the musical genius of Roy. His ideas never cease to inspire me, and often times (like She), there just seems to be a logic to what comes next. Roy, what about you?
Roy: I think it’s about processing things that I’ve heard for years and years but maybe didn’t quite understand in the moment; for example, when I was 7 years old hearing my father play me a Kinks’ song or when I was 14 hearing Miles Davis for the first time, I wasn’t ready, and I think I’m still catching up. I revisit lots of my favorite music frequently in order to re-process and learn something new from it.
Tell me about your ideal Valentine’s Day?
Roy: I’m a romantic at heart. So, spending quality time with my wife of 14 years in a small, quiet, dimly lit restaurant (preferably Spanish or Mediterranean cuisine) away from the hustle and bustle of life.
Cliff: My wife and I typically cook together on Valentine's, maybe put on some jazz like Getz/Gilberto, but as long as I get to spend it with Donna, it's always ideal. Growing up, my mom would give me a red shirt on Valentine's Day and that was pretty cool too.
What can we expect from you in 2019? Both: The Flamingo EP is a departure for us in that it displays a softer shade of Pink so to speak. We have a full-length album written and we hope to have it completed and ready for a fall release. It has a darker feel, but I really think our song writing has evolved, and we're hoping the result will be something very special.
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