Meet pinkiscool, who makes gentle, intimate indie-pop with his new single, Plastic

We're all about the next generation of musicians in Australia, and amongst the most exciting we've come across in recent weeks is Sydney-based musician pinkiscool. The 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist - real name Tyler Murray - is someone we've had our eyes on for a moment now, originally capturing our attention with a single titled Monday back in 2019; a charming, introductory moment to the musician and his genre-less sound, one that he built further upon with two singles last year: Lose My Mind and flowers.

It's not too difficult to understand why we've been intrigued either. Raised on a hot-bed of genres and artists, his music reflects the versatility of the music he listens to, with flourishes of pop, electronica, indie - even a touch of hip-hop - sneaking its away into the productions he shapes, and how his vocal dances amongst them. It's an exciting, genre-less approach to songwriting in which his work is conjoined more-so by its intimacy and craft than a particular sound or combination of which; something he's seemingly strived for in his work.

His new single Plastic is another example of pinkiscool's brilliance, albeit on another level that increases on the evolution and growth we've already seen from the musician in the last few years. His vocal - and the honest lyricism it contains - steers a ship of instrumentation that showcases his wide-ranging talents, sonically coming across as another woozy slice of pop-meets-indie-electronica with added flairs and flavours taken from even further reaches of the musical umbrella. There's a touch of Khalid and Ruel; a dash of The 1975 and Harry Styles; a sprinkling of Sufjan Stevens and Frank Ocean - pinkiscool's music covers a lot of ground.

His songwriting is what underpins everything though, and is how songs like Plastic work so well despite its wide-varying tones. This time, the song depicts a personal moment of his life, and how he uses music as a tool to process and break down those moments. "This particular song came together just after a situation where someone who I considered to be a really close friend had betrayed my trust... the verses touch on the idea of just being completely lost and exhausted and feeling like you don’t have anyone to turn to that will understand," he says.

"Getting older I’m still learning (as I think we all are) how to be content and find solace in negative situations, which of course is difficult but things will always eventually resolve. I guess I wrote this song for people who feel similar and really hope it makes them feel less alone." There's something remarkably special in that, and pinkiscool is a remarkably special musician in being able to bring out the beauty of it. 

Plastic is a taste of a forthcoming debut EP scheduled for later in the year, but in the meantime, take a listen to Plastic below, and introduce yourself to the one-to-watch underneath:

Tell us about yourself?

Hi! I’m Tyler AKA pinkiscool - a 21-year-old artist/producer from Sydney, Australia. I grew up around rock bands and DJ’s which had an eclectic influence on my music and I strive to create a sense of community and individualism around my music. 

What’s your music like? What does it sound like? What kind of themes does it usually cover? 

A friend of mine referenced my sound as The 1975 cross Khalid but kinda sad which I love. I guess I write so much it's hard to pinpoint it musically but thematically I love to write about the experience of the human condition, loss, love and heartbreak. Basically, anything that makes me feel.

What are your production and writing processes usually like?

Generally, I’ll start with an instrumental and some melodies and come up with a concept that fits the track - this can be anything and varies a lot. I also have loads of friends around Sydney that I love to collaborate with and always level up my tracks.

Can you tell us a bit about your new single, Plastic?

This particular song came together just after a situation where someone who I considered to be a really close friend had betrayed my trust. I was at a super low point emotionally and ended up doing a wildly cathartic session with an incredibly talented friend of mine Chris Chì. The verses touch on the idea of just being completely lost and exhausted and feeling like you don’t have anyone to turn to that will understand. The chorus focuses more on the implications of being a bit of an outcast and the idea of never really being able to fit in anywhere.

While there are so many things going on everything feels just so exhausting, there’s nothing you can do but “just try better”. Getting older I’m still learning (as I think we all are) how to be content and find solace in negative situations, which of course is difficult but things will always eventually resolve. I guess I wrote this song for people who feel similar and really hope it makes them feel less alone. 

What do you have planned for 2021?

For 2021 I have plans to release my debut EP and hopefully start doing some live shows which I’m super pumped about! We also plan to start putting out some merch and generally build the community more around pinkiscool.

What do you want people to take away from your work? 

As I said previously, community is a huge thing for me. I hope at the end of the day if two people that don't know each other can connect over my music then I would feel like I've made it. Bringing people together and putting something into the world that people can relate to is a huge goal of mine.

Where can we find more of your music?

Here's the link to my latest music video! And some streamin’ services.

Follow pinkiscool: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TIKTOK