Take a trip to Planet Pearl, the new album by Pearl & The Oysters, out in all known and unknown universes now. Juliette Pearl Davis (Juju) and Joachim Polack (Jojo) wrote their new record from the perspective of castaway space explorers marooned on Earth. But no matter how alienated they feel, Juju and Jojo always see the fun side, channeling their feelings into jazz pop joy.
Stream: Pearl & The Oysters – Planet Pearl
Purchase Vinyl: Pearl & The Oysters – Planet Pearl
The album launches with a new music video for “Triangular Girl” written about a character who’s “geometrically unfit to evolve in the curvilinear world surrounding her”. The music video by Nikki Milan Houston features the triangular character (also performed by Nikki), dancing alone on a “planet once sprawling with life, that now feels empty and desolate”. “Triangular Girl” was written 12 years ago, when the duo were at jazz school in Paris.
“Cruise Control” was inspired by a secret bebop deep cut discovered in Paris. Jojo says: “It sometimes feels like the only way to stay sane in a world that clearly isn’t, is to go through the motions in a highly desensitized ‘automatic pilot’ mode. In that respect, “Cruise Control” is pretty cynical because it equates the feeling of freedom and excitement one can experience zipping through the highway with a form of voluntary ignorance, which we ultimately don’t wish upon anyone.”
On “Big Time”, Pearl & The Oysters cast a skeptical eye on sun-drenched, seemingly carefree L.A. Its vibrant music video directed by Nikki Milan Houston is a spin on the 80s B-movie, inspired by John Carpenter’s “They Live”. “It’s our version of an LA-centric mini-musical,” says Nikki. “It showcases the inhabitants of Planet Pearl as they pose for their own kind of postcard.”
The influence of Brazilian music is strong on Planet Pearl – Jojo’s PhD was on the composer Antônio Carlos Jobim – as is the concept of saudade. “Big Time” is inspired by the Brazilian artist Chico Buarque’s “Construção”, with the lyrics written in rhyming couplets. The main harmonic and melodic influence for the song was the Doobie-Brothers-to-Rita-Lee pipeline.
Planet Pearl tackles heavier subjects, including the state of the world, mental health and the feeling of being “literal outsiders everywhere we go”. Nomadic but together, they try to make sense of their surroundings – wherever they may be.
Pearl & The Oysters Upcoming US Tour Dates
10/16/2024 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere (Zone One)
10/17/2024 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA
10/18/2024 – Washington D.C. – Comet Ping Pong
10/19/2024 – Raleigh, NC – Neptunes
10/21/2024 – Gainesville, FL – The Wooly
10/23/2024 – Atlanta, GA – 529 Bar
10/24/2024 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room
10/26/2024 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves
10/27/2024 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
10/29/2024 – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit
11/03/2024 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
