Pristine New Album “Ninja”
Starting in North Norwegian idyll Tromsö and ending up all over the world – This is how you could describe the development of PRISTINE in the last months.
Once, the debut Detoxing and its precursor No Regret were only available in Norway. Reboot, published at the beginning of 2016, was then published internationally and received lots of positive critics. This release was responsible for a tour with BLUES PILLS, which included all areas from Gothenburg until Lisbon, for several club and festival gigs as well as for another tour leg with THE BREW (UK).
Vocalist and band leader Heidi Solheim can be named as one of the “hardest-working women” in rock business. At the end of 2016 she returned to her home village, sat down in front of the piano, took a deep breath and pushed the “reset” button in her head. Then she started to write songs for Ninja. The songs were recorded in only one day (again: 1!) in January. This seems to be a novelty, when having modern production technic today and the LED ZEPPELIN debut being already half a century old. Three days of over dubs followed and the result is a record full of energy and passion. Heidi describes the album with words like “free” and “unfearful” and these attributes also well describe the performance of Heidi and her band. ‘The Rebel Song‘, ‘Sophia‘ and the title track are very heavy rock songs with a lot of drive, ‘Jekyll & Hyde‘ is an overlong psychedelic song. ‘The Perfect Crime‘ is based on blues and gospel. The rhythm section of the band is incredibly creative and tight and guitarist Espen Elverum Jakobsen is used to rock n roll roots since he was a child back then. The sound of the organist perfectly sums up the instrument section. Heidi Solheims voice dominates them and keeps all together. She’s the captain who writes all lyrics and songs and shares them with musicians who can implement them the best – at the studio as well as on tour.
Ninja will mark a new chapter of PRISTINE, the fourth album will be kind of a new „debut“. Heidi will definitely keep her close affinity to nature, stamped from her home country. In a musical way, there’s no way back: The world is ready for PRISTINE!
The songs of Ninja, track by track from Heidi Solheim:
‘You Are The One’
“Things aren’t always quite what they seem through the eyes of a teenager. This song is about how things can change. I had a pretty tough time growing up. Ambitions and creativity wasn’t something you should have too much of. God forbid you should stand out from a group! In my home village this was like saying that you think are better than everyone. I learned from an early age that to be regular and average was the only way to be accepted, and as a result I was bullied for being different. I really felt like a misfit and not good enough while growing up. But with some great support from my parents and me moving away at the age of 15, things changed. I learned how to become strong, independent and actually grooming my ambitions. Now when I meet the people that brought me down, I feel only gratitude. ‘You Are The One’ is about how the tables have turned.”
‘Sophia’
“This song is about the hunting-ground of dating. How gold and diamonds can blind some people and clear the view for others.”
‘The Perfect Crime’
“A perfect crime for me is when you can hurt someone intentionally and no one will know. This song is about one time I got my heart broken over a friend’s choice to leave me hanging. A breach of trust that hit me like a train.”
‘The Rebel Song’
“I saw an interview with a strong female artist once who talked about challenges of being a woman in the business world. Based on her own experiences she told a story about a young woman’s struggle in a “man’s world”. I found it interesting and motivating how bold and though she was standing up for something so many of us have experienced. But the most fascinating thing for me was the reactions in the aftermath of the interview. How especially women dragged this artist down because of her previous choices in clothes, attitude and sexiness with the underlaying argument: If you ever used botox or dressed sexy, you can’t be expected to be taken seriously. In ANY matter. Crazy, isn’t it! ‘The Rebel Song’ is my answer to this. Analyze everything she said everything she might. To bring her down. You wanna find her weak and twist it ‘round”
‘The Parade’
“In my home village we had this local tough guy that everyone wanted to be. He was handsome, and most importantly: he owned his own car. That was a big deal when I grew up. If you owned your own car, that was proof that you were one of the popular ones. He was much older than me so I had never had the ambition to date the guy, but I soon started to notice how people acted around him and found it very interesting. He was a local star and it felt like a big parade every time he came in through the door.”
‘Ghost Chase’
“’Ghost Chase’ is about some peoples’ need to feel superior to others. People who boss around just to entertain the feeling of power and importance.”
‘Ninja’
“‘Ninja’ is actually a love song. It is about finding someone you are willing to fight for and stick with them. Even if it means that you have to pump up your “ninja-skills”.”
‘Jekyll & Hyde’
“This song is based around the dark thoughts you have. Your own personal demons. They can be everywhere if you choose to look. And that is sometimes the most difficult thing: to choose not to look. Everyone has their own dark moments. I seek someone I trust and love when things get tough. Someone’s arms I can hide inside. This song is about finding a way to balance the different versions of yourself in a way that will keep you going.”
‘Forget’
“This is a dream of a better tomorrow. A hope for a world without the terrible things people do to one another, without the fear, darkness and grief.“
