Pink Juice: Creating Their Own World Through Music

Words by Zoe Abril Valdez

Born from a spontaneous creative connection between its members, Pink Juice is a project built around experimentation and artistic freedom. What started as a temporary collaboration in a makeshift studio quickly evolved into a complete creative space, where they developed their own sound and artistic identity. Combining influences from Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Electronic music and Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll, Pink Juice represents a blend of different worlds brought together by a shared vision.

How and when did the band form? What brought you together to create music?

Rex and I began working together on a previous project a couple of years back. Rex temporarily moved into my house so we could get the workload done quicker. We created a makeshift studio set up in my back room and spent every evening just creating. Those sessions were only meant to be for a month or so. Two years later, he hasn’t moved out, and the back room has become a full-on studio, and we now do our weekly shop together. Pink Juice just sort of happened. It wasn’t forced or anything like that. It was simply born out of a shared vision. We got bored of working under what felt like “a rule book” and just went at it. To add to that, my personal creative process with the way that I write songs changed dramatically as well. I put my acoustic guitar down and start working with samples and drum machines. Working as a delivery driver, making demos at like 5 am in my work van. The nature of the job means I’m working 12/13 hours a day, so I had to get smart about how I could still be productive. I have a little studio set up that I now take on the road with me.  I find I’m so creative when I’m driving. I’ll start at 430/5 am and come midday, I’ll have 3/4 ideas mapped out. I’ll send them to Rex and then by the time I’m home, he’ll have done his tweaks, and we’ll have an idea to then go at together. 

The name “Pink Juice” is quite distinctive. Is there a story or meaning behind it?

Well… I’m sure artists have told you this before. Naming a band is pretty difficult, especially in this day and age, when bands are having to break through the algorithm before even having a chance of being discovered. I think “the cool band name” era has died a death if I’m honest. Trying to be cool is cringe. We wanted to do something different to the norm. Fuck playing it safe. I remember telling my family and close friends for the first time. Some of the responses were so funny and far apart. It’s literally like Marmite, but the music is pretty alright, so who cares what we are called. 

If you had to choose one line or phrase from “Laid Back” that encapsulates the essence of the song, what would it be and why?

Comfy trackie bottoms going out could be fatal” – The song is about breaking out of my bad habits. Clawing myself off the canvas and back into the fight, but this time with a whole different approach. It’s personal but honest. I’m riddled with ADHD, and I suffer from Anxiety bad when I’m not creative. Years gone by, I’d comfort that with bad habits, but I kinda reached a turning point in my life about 3/4 months before Pink Juice became a thing. I worked myself out and cracked the code to how my brain works. When I’m ’Laid Back’, I’m at my best. It’s when I’m most creative. I fucked off the tight suits, bought a parka and some comfy trackies. This is who I am, it’s where I’m at, and this is what you’re getting. 

Who are your main musical influences, both individually and collectively?

As a collective, Pink Juice is inspired by Soul/Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Electronic & Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll. 

Tommy – Daft Punk, Bobby Womack, N.W.A, Oasis, Dr. Dre, Thundercat 

Rex – The Clash, Etta James, The Chemical Brothers, Kendrick Lamar, David Bowie, The Prodigy 

Besides “Laid Back,” what can we expect from Pink Juice in the near future? We know you’re launching new merchandise — can you tell us more about it

Yeah! So, we’ve just released a remix version of Laid Back, and our brand new single, Black and White, dropped just last week, along with an amazing music video directed by Morgan Tedd. The singles are all part of a bigger picture. Later in the year, we’ll be releasing an extended mixtape, ‘Built to Crash’, digitally and physically. Some mint T-shirts are coming soon, which we are very excited about as well.

We heard you played a show at Brat – how was the experience performing there? Did you have any favourite memories or standout moments from that gig, and how did it feel to play there?

It was incredible. It’s such an incredible space and was a great way to kick things off for the debut single. We’re very grateful to Dom and the Brat team for allowing us and our mob to take over for the night. The gig was packed and rowdy. The Molotovs and Bobby Vylan all came down, and Wolfies did a special Pink Juice cocktail for us for the evening, so I think everyone had a pretty good time. It felt killer to play the new tunes live with our band. We had Ben from The Royston Club join us on guitar, too so that made it extra fun. All round the whole event was brilliant. For me, getting changed in the back office and seeing all YUNGBLUD’s No. 1 awards stacked up was pretty inspiring. 

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

We also know you’ve been collaborating with some amazing musicians for your upcoming releases, including members of Gorillaz and Kasabian. How did these partnerships come about, and what was it like creating music with such well-known artists?

A dream come true, really. I grew up in the same village as Kasabian, and they had such a huge influence on me growing up as a kid, so working with Ian Mathews was literally an honour. Seye too, Gorlliaz are such a big inspiration for us sonically. Having them two lock in together and getting to play with them both live in the studio was epic. We’re so proud of what came of those sessions, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear the tracks we made together. We also worked with Ade Omotayo (Amy Winehouse Band / Gorillaz) on a bunch of tracks. His voice is off the scale, and again working with him was such a pleasure. His vocal range is incredible, and it’s when you are working with pros like that that you really do understand how dynamics work.

Did working with these experienced musicians influence your sound or creative process in any way?

Totally! There’s nothing A.I can do that will replace the human in what art really is. I’m inspired by so many artists, but getting to work with some of the people who inspired me to pick up an instrument and start writing songs is something I’ll be forever grateful for. 

The music video for Laid Back has such an amazing aesthetic and vibe – we absolutely love it! What inspired the visual style and the overall concept of the video?

The video was shot in my home town in Leicester at the university. We really like the iconic brutalist architecture of the city. We thought it would be good to film it there as we wanted the feel to be sort of dystopian and a little bit cheeky. My favourite part of the video is the nighttime shots set in the vintage golf. That’s actually my hairdresser deans car. I came up with the idea to fill a vintage car full of smoke and red lighting to give off that 3 am smoking a joint with your mate in the car vibes. It’s a nod to my teenage years. From the very start of Pink Juice, we’ve always said we wanted to make music that sounds good in the car. So it made perfect sense to express that vision in the video

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny