Portland Oregon-based, Pete International Airport recently released its third album, It Felt Like the End of the World, on Little Cloud Records. The band is the solo neo-psyche rock side project of The Dandy Warhols’ guitarist, Peter G. Holmström. Pete International Airport, named after a song by his other band, brings together a carefully crafted eclectic mix of soundscapes. ‘It Felt Like The End of the World’ was mainly written during the Covid pandemic and boasts an elusive aesthetic of uncertain yet inviting layers of sound art. At first listen, it feels like well-organized chaos with hints of hope as we all dove into the unknown.
‘It Felt Like The End of the World’ rolls out 11 tracks of sonic density layered with dark overtones. The album features collaborations from Rachel Goswell (Slowdive, Mojave 3), Alexander Hackett (Pang Attack), Dion Lunadon (A Place To Bury Strangers, The D4), and Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick), among others.
Torched Magazine / Judy Lyon is ringing in the new year with this exclusive interview from Peter G. Holmström of Pete International Airport / The Dandy Warhols! Pete so graciously took the time to go into details on PIA’s new release “It Felt Like The End of the World” (@littlecloudrecords), along with his thoughts on working on the video game Forza, highlights from The Dandy Warhols tour with The Black Angels and working with The Oregon Symphony, and so much more! Read on..
Peter G. Holmström photo by Thomas Baltes
I felt really drawn to the intensity and drama from the track “Il Canto Della Polena”. The album was written during the pandemic and this track really nailed how we all felt during this time. It feels like a pandemic time capsule. Was this your intention? Can you go into some of the production details and inspiration behind this track?
– This was the first song idea that I started on a piano, just a simple melodic thing with a nice resolve that was fun to play over and over. Years later, I had the idea to record the part in five octaves at five different tempos. So each one was twice as slow as the previous one and an octave lower. The result was almost twenty minutes long. Years later, again when I was compiling ideas for “It Felt Like The End Of The World” Louise Woodward heard it and offered to score some strings which we then recorded with the help of Chris (Mango) Bergstrom. Fernando Nutti from New Candys and his girlfriend helped me come up with a good classical music-sounding name by combining Swan Song and The Figurehead.
It Felt Like the End of the World is full of mind-bending soundscapes, from retro to something you might find in a video game arcade. Where do you find your inspiration for all the interesting sounds that you find/create?
– That’s the fun part! Most of the songs start on an acoustic guitar, then I get to start layering sounds. Mostly it’s the new pedal, keyboard, or guitar that I want to play, but working in the old tricks with slight twists are a big part of the process. Later after I’ve carved something song-like out of the chaos, Jeremy Sherrer will start the mixing which involves even more carving. Sometimes it happens quickly, other times it’s years.
You are currently creating some music for the video game Forza. How did this project come about? Can you go into some of the production processes for this game?
– my good friend Nick Wiswell asked if I’d be interested in producing half the music for the latest version. I had done a piece for a mobile device version so I had a vague idea of what was needed and had the time. The process is pretty much the same as creating music for anything only this time there was a hard deadline. Which was a good thing to experience, though I’m happy that most of what I do doesn’t have one.
The Dandy Warhols just wrapped up a tour with The Black Angels. What were some of the highlights from this tour?
– The biggest highlight of touring with The Black Angels (besides getting to hang out with The Black Angels) was getting to watch The Black Angels every night! They made us want to be better, play better!
When I was a young girl discovering new music, I remember sitting for hours exploring album cover art and listening to vinyl records. There’s been a resurgence of interest in the art of vinyl in recent years. What are your thoughts on vinyl? What was your inspiration for the new PIA album cover art?
– I love it. The size of the art is important. CDs were too small and streaming platforms don’t count at all. There wasn’t actually any inspiration for the album cover. My initial plan for the album cover fell through and set back the release by at least six months. Francesca Bonci who did 3 videos for the record sent me some screenshots. I had sent her all the lyrics so maybe that factored in.
In most recent times, you’ve been very prolific with all of your musical groups; The Dandy Warhols, Sun Atoms, Pete International Airport.. etc. How do you balance the creative process between projects?
– in the past it was very obvious to me which song ideas belonged where. But after this latest Dandy’s record, I’ll need to rethink things a bit. My contributions to Sun Atoms songs have been mostly created in rehearsals. I do need to watch myself a bit, I played a bass line from a potential PIA track once, and everyone jumped in and it is now a Sun Atoms song. (It will probably be a PIA song too, it’s different enough)
Pete with Sun Atoms – photo Judy Lyon
How would you describe PIA to a new audience?
– I would prefer to leave that to the professionals. “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture“…as they say. I am just following all my different little obsessions trying to create new songs.
PIA just released the new song and video for ‘Tic Tac’ featuring Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell. What was your inspiration behind this track? Can you go into some of the production details surrounding this track?
– it started with a guitar tuning I got from an interview with Pete Hayes (BRMC) which I or the interviewer apparently got wrong. It was different enough that I wanted to see if I could get any ideas out of it. It proved to be very productive. No Blindfold also started with this tuning as well as a couple potential songs for the next record. Initially, I was trying to make the track harder, it had a driving bass line that was a bit distorted and lots of guitars. Jasun Adams finally talked me into letting the song be pretty and Rachel just made it absolutely stunning!
The Dandy Warhols had the opportunity to perform songs in a totally new way with The Oregon Symphony earlier this year (2023). I was in attendance at this event and hands down, it was mind-blowing! Are there any future plans to take this show on the road or play with The Oregon Symphony again?
– We definitely want to play as many symphony gigs as possible. It was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, I had to concentrate so hard that I had to keep the orchestra way down in my monitor mix. I’ll probably need to do at least three more before I can truly experience what happened.
Peter
The Dandy Warhols with The Oregon Symphony – photo by Judy Lyon
Feature image by @june__likethemonth
Pete International Airport ‘It Felt Like The End of the World’ is now available for purchase at Little Cloud Records or Bandcamp.
Keep up with Pete International Airport
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