PET NEEDS

‘Intermittent Fast Living’, the third studio release by PET NEEDS in as many years, is inspired by the relentless, breathless, stop-start lifestyle PET NEEDS have found themselves living in recent times.

Founded originally by brothers Johnny and George Mariott and later joined by Jack (drums) and Ryan (bass) only a matter of years ago, PET NEEDS’ career has been sky-rocketing ever since the release of their acclaimed debut ‘Fractured Party Music’ back in 2021. From getting signed to SOLD OUT shows, rave reviews to rabid fans, and embarking on extensive global tours with the likes of  Frank Turner, The Lottery Winners, Skinny Lister; demand for these four lads from Essex has been on a trajectory with the stratosphere.

But being strapped-in to the big dipper that is living the rock’n’roll lifestyle most kids can only dream of, while trying to balance a steady family life at home, is not without its challenges. And by perpetually riding around what frontman Johnny describes as “a dream-like tornado”, they have found themselves jolting between a life in the fast lane and “the security and stillness” of being with those they love. Channelling the chaos of their dichotomous lives into their visceral latest work, Johnny explains:

“In the last 18 months we have been catapulted from steady jobs and playing in our small town local bars to world tours at a million miles an hour. The life we’d grown accustomed to is constantly thrown behind us until it disappears into the distance in our rear view mirror. 

We thunder forward, show by show, adventure by adventure, until [normal life] returns as a speck on the horizon like an oasis in the desert. Then suddenly we’re home again. I sit content on the sofa with a beer, my wife and our new little puppy wondering what the hell just happened for the last three months.”

From bare bones scratched out in the sanctity of their spare bedroom, into the full-bodied and frenzied final cuts befitting of their third body of work, the songs of ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ quickly began to take shape. Booking themselves in at Vada Studios with producer and sound engineer George Perks (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Mogwai, Skindred), PET NEEDS hunkered down at the residential studio and began “the most creative fortnight of [their] lives”.

“All these songs started life on a battered acoustic guitar in my spare room.” says Johnny. “I then took them to my brother and collaborator George, and together we worked them up from ideas into fully-arranged, fully-fledged songs. With the band we transform embryonic ideas into huge songs with incredible arrangements of drums, bass, guitars and more.”

Arriving at the end of the session with eleven brand-new tracks, ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ careers through all the highs and lows, twists and turns, that have confronted the band on their recent journey. Beginning with the introspective spoken-word opener “How Are You?”, the track immediately picks up where the band’s previous album ‘Primetime Entertainment’ left off, unwinding as one breathless stream-of-consciousness as it brings the listener up to the here and now. Lurching through a litany of topics from there, it pinballs through songs of love and loss, to “anxieties about the personal, interpersonal and existential”, the search for the end of a constant cycle of self-destruction, the trials, tribulations and harsh realities of touring, the life lessons that can be learnt from a new puppy, “mental catastrophizing” and just about everything in between.

Along the way, the barrelling balladry of “Lucid” spins a tale of unconventional love and a celebration “of being beautifully broken together”, “Trip” takes us into the inner sanctum of the tour bus, whereas “Fingernails” is a white knuckle ride about the curse of “mental catastrophising”.

Like that unexpected snapshot for sale at the end of a theme-park ride, ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ is a vivid portrait of a band riding high on the rollercoaster that is the rock’n’roll life, and stopping for just a split-second to capture the moment. A rush of adrenaline and a tornado of emotion, it will be released on 16th February 2024 (via Xtra Mile Recordings).