Premiere: Shiny Joe Ryan teases his new album with another song/video, Pub Boat

A month or so ago, we got a taste of new Shiny Joe Ryan for the first time in about seven years; the project of POND's Joseph Ryan following up their debut album Shiny Joe Ryan & The Cosmic Microwave Background - released way back in 2014 - with the release of a new single titled Ketamine. It premiered on Pilerats with news of his forthcoming second album Shiny's Democracy, scheduled for release on July 23rd via Spinning Top Records - an album that's sure to act as a reminder of the multi-talented musician's craft, after spending much of the last few years recording and touring with POND, as well as working with Tame Impala on their live visuals too.

Nevertheless, Ketamine was a striking return. "It's a happy-go-lucky earworm that feels a little bit Beach Boys-esque mixed with a generous psych-rock touch, with dancing vocals moving amongst a hot-bed of guitar and percussion; Shiny Joe plucking from decades' worth of genres and bringing them together in a bright three minutes," we said with its release. "It's quite a funny one to listen to as well, with his vocals having this playful, whimsical touch as he sings about ketamine, creating a contrast we wouldn't expect from anyone else except good ol' Shiny Joe."

As the release of Shiny's Democracy approaches, we're stoked to now premiere another taste from the album, arriving today in the form of his new single Pub Boat. Pub Boat showcases another side of Shiny Joe Ryan's charm, capturing the jangly feel that's distinctive to his sound but also showing how it can grow and evolve over a song's duration; Pub Boat being a winding, almost entirely instrumental - if it wasn't for the odd "PUB BOAT!" shout, here and there - display of hazy alt-rock, rich with rhythms and melodies that come and go as the song continues.

"Pub Boat is quite literally a song about a boat I saw ferrying tourists around the canals of Amsterdam," he says on the single. "The whole thing was decked out like a nice floating pub. The thing I love about the song though is the chug. Playing the 3/4 guitar over the 4/4 drums makes for a lovely deep groove and playing it with the band is so much fun."

The track also premieres alongside a video clip, which really makes the whole thing come together. As he explains, the video started with one idea that then gradually changed to something else - and to be honest, the final version is so great and comedic that we wouldn't want it any other way anyway. "I had borrowed the family tinny with the hope of filming this video on the Swan River. The idea was to drop each member of the band in the river holding onto a keg barrel as floatation and film me pulling each of them from the water," he says.

"However, it was winter and the idea of making my mates jump in the river didn’t seem like a good one. So instead, we adopted the techniques used by the ancient Egyptians to move the block for the pyramids. Using the keg barrels as rollers, the band were able to transport the boat with me in it down the road into the backyard where we all had a few beers."

The video is one hell of a time, and you can take a dive into it below, alongside their forthcoming tour dates. Also, be sure to pre-order Shiny's Democracy here while you're at it.

Tour Dates: 

Thursday 22 July | Hidden Treasures Festival, Fremantle, WA 
Friday 6 August | The Bird (Album Launch), Perth, WA 

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