Dreamgaze Rockers PENCEY SLOE Released New Video for ‘The Run I. & II.’ ‣ CVLTARTES

PENCEY SLOE has just released a brand new video for their latest single ‘The Run I. & II.’. The combined two tracks, which feature guest contributions from ALCEST’s Stéphane “Neige” Paut and Justin K. Broadrick (GODFLESH, JESU, ZONAL among others), are taken from the dreamgaze rockers’ sophomore full-length “Neglect”, which has been scheduled for release on August 19.

“The first part of the song, ‘The Run I.’ speaks of self-love, the one that makes us doubt, the one for which we constantly fight to achieve it”, vocalist and guitarist Diane Pellotieri explains.

“In the second chapter, ‘The Run II.’ we glimpse a way to find serenity, but you have to run to get to the light, otherwise all that scares catches up with you.”

Who am I? This is the essential question that PENCEY SLOE explore on their sophomore full-length “Neglect”. The Parisian dreamgaze rockers have dedicated their entire new album to the theme of identity. What is making humans into who they think they are and at the same time also how they project or hide their self-image to and from others. Are we shaped by our genetic code, or do we become what we are told to be by our family and peers. Is it our language, the country or the society that we live in, or the culture that we grow up with?

While founding member, singer, and guitarist Diane Pellotieri is the main songwriter for PENCEY SLOE, her collaboration with the new drummer and percussionist Clément Hateau has overall been much closer than with the previous line-up of the band.

The result of this joining of musical forces is a more mature and complex sound. Although the French continue on their path of cinematic soundscapes and beautiful psychedelic colors, their occasional drifting into darker spheres and the perfect balance between Diane’s vocals and meandering guitar textures create a sonic world of their own design.

While the guest-contribution of ALCEST frontman Neige on ‘The Run I.’ is a welcome nod to the friendship that their compatriots have exerted on PENCEY SLOE, the inclusion of Justin K. Broadrick from among others GODFLESH and JESU is a more subtle pointer to an inspirational musician for the duo.

PENCEY SLOE were conceived out of a conversation between Diane and her fellow musicians at the time that led to the founding of the project in the French capital of Paris in 2017. The name was in part inspired by J. D. Salinger’s famous “The Catcher in the Rye” as Diane drew parallels between her music and the novel’s fluid shifts from dark to light, distress, and sadness to the burlesque and mysterious.

In the same year as the band’s inception, a 5-track eponymous EP was self-released in 2017. This led to a record deal that PENCEY SLOE inked with Prophecy, and their acclaimed debut album “Don’t Believe, Watch Out” appeared via the label in 2019. Without the possibility to perform live these last two years, Diane decided to focus on the creation of new material.

With “Neglect”, PENCEY SLOE embarks on a dream-like journey into the dangerous waters of identity. Who we are, who we want to be, and who we want to appear to others might not be the same. Diane Pellotieri’s voice offers musical guidance, driven by subtle drumming, and carried by a stream of guitars. Hoist the anchor, rig the sails, and listen diligently.