Art Ross (they/them) and Aaron Green (he/him) come from disparate backgrounds and musical forms, meeting in the middle to comprise a band that’s tender and fierce, exuberant and gentle. Green—a veteran of the Halifax rock scene, the guitar anchor of Floodland and Hello Delaware—and Ross—a trans songwriter with an acoustic guitar—started writing songs together over text, by accident. Pillow Fite emerged publicly at the start of 2021 with its non-binary gender-subverting aesthetics already firmly in place.
Art and Aaron joined East Coast DNA host Darcy Walsh for chat about their first 3 years as a band, new content, and upcoming performances.
00:15 Welcoming Pillow Fite to East Coast DNA
34:25 Alma by Pillow Fite
"Alma," speaks to how much you learn about someone when you’re forced to spend so much uninterrupted time together and develop an appreciation for your learned coexistence. The duo — composed of Art Ross (they/them) and Aaron Green (he/him) — touches on relationship dynamics that change during joyful confinement, and how the habits and mannerisms that lovingly annoy you can bring you closer together.
Written when they had nowhere to go and nothing to do but make up songs, "Alma" finds the beauty in the quiet moments with your partner, despite the trying circumstances of sharing but one household, and what feels like 4 walls.
Pillow Fite presents moody and intimate lyrics delivered with a dreamlike nostalgia alongside inventive guitar riffs and synths - a sensibility that can leave listeners both weeping and singing along. "Alma" offers a production style that is bursting at the seams — a contrast to the times of small room confinement in which the song was written. A folk-fingerpicking style that evolved into a stomp-clap with a pumping, bouncing, drum beat, "Alma" is a nod to their first releases, such as their 2022 debut EP Flutter, which featured airier vocals and gentler sounds.
The single was recorded and produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia by Aaron Green, mixed by John Mullane (Future Dad), and mastered by New Brunswick’s John McLaggan (Parachute Mastering).
This new single follows a slew of releases from the prolific Pillow Fite, including the amped up indie rocker "Ativan," the folk-driven "Napanee," and the soft but moody "Overpass."
Album Art: Pillow Fite (Photo Credit: Nathanial Cole)
Catch Pillow Fite live near you:
June 6 The Carleton:
Crying at The Carleton: A Songwriters Circle featuring
Nicole Ariana, Pillow Fite, and Terra Spencer
June 28 -July 1: INGObeach Pride Festival
(tickets on sale now)
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