More about: pizzagirl

Life is not always pretty, but Liverpool alt-pop icon pizzagirl seeks to encourage acceptance of these unglamorous moments through his music. It's sentiment that he embraces fully on his new album softcore mourn, which sees him drop any and all filters for an honest look into his psyche and philosophy. 

Speaking of the creative process behind the album, pizzagirl — real name Liam Brown — says: “When I’m happy I listen to sad music. This album goes through the more pessimistic side of relationships and aligns with being a ‘lockdown album’ because I make music alone anyway.” The final track released from the album 'by the way' — which he describes as his personal favourite at the moment — showcases tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a downbeat, acoustic '90s sound laid on a foundation of his introspections. It is, Liam says, the “epitome of the sound and feeling of the album”

Balancing hopeless romanticism with harsher realities of life, softcore mourn reflects pizzagirl’s evolution, as parts of his musical persona fall away to give glimpses of the person, Liam Brown, behind it. Brown reflects on this evolution saying, "I’ve been making music for years and when I initially started, I had a more fresh faced view of the world. So, my sound was more romanticised - I was making happier pop music. Now the music is sadder.” 

"I’m not at that age yet, but the idea of exploring being young once and mortality really appeals to me" he says of how his music may continue to develop. "An introspective album about age and midlife crisis is something I’d really like to write about someday.”

Despite finding himself drawn to darker topics, leaning into the sadness that leaks out of his music and tagging himself a “sad, post-breakup songwriter,” Brown’s ability to find humour in bleakness shines through in his artistry. Simply puy: he puts his own life experiences under the microphone. Delving into what inspires his music, he tells us: "I really like personifying life experiences and writing in characters.” But on softcore mourn he lets go of his penchant for hiding behind fictional stories to relate semi-autobiographical sentiments. 

Brown's interest in putting himself and his own experiences out there is probably what has listeners reaching out frequently to connect with the artist. He mentions this connection when reminiscing about the most memorable moments of his career, saying: “I find the personal view of music really lovely. The messages from people listening to my music, reflecting on their own experiences is what I want to keep receiving through my music rather than making lots of money from it. I hope people are finding comfort in knowing they aren’t alone when they listen to music.”

“When I was younger I’d go hang out in music shops, envision what I’d be doing ten years from then. Now I see my own music in these shops and it feels surreal seeing something you’ve worked on in an outside perspective like that" he muses.

With unfiltered and grounded, 'sad' music that’s effortlessly tinged with hope and humour, pizzagirl delivers morose but magical sonic landscapes that offer hope even as it spins narrative that seem hopeless, and this slice of realism he provides is a comfort like no other. 

softcore mourn is out now.

More about: pizzagirl