Ain’t were conceived from a mixture of good energy, serendipity, and similar tastes. The first conversation between guitarists Ed Randall and George Ellerby was in a bar, about footwear, which eventually led to a full-on discussion about 90s music and The Smashing Pumpkins. The two kindred spirits eventually assembled the band through friendships and word-of-mouth, including unconventional bathroom ads. Lead vocalist Hanna Baker Darch joined the project shortly after, along with drummer Joe Lockstone, and bassist Chapman (who responded to said bathroom-ad).
After forming in 2022, the band made the deliberate decision to not release any music online, instead leveraging person-to-person buzz and encouraging people to see them live, where they thrived on improvisation and performance. They eventually released tracks “Oar” and “Teething,” teasers to what the band had been crafting in a controlled, studio setting.
Two new singles, “Pirouette” and “Jude,” are further evidence of the band coming into their own. “Pirouette” has a revisitation of that tasty 90s-inspired shiny backing guitar that we were first introduced to in the band’s premier singles. There’s a hint of pop rock in the primary guitar lick, a repeating riff that makes welcomed appearances throughout the song to balance the shoegaze elements of the track.
In “Jude,” attitude-propelling guitars elevate Hanna’s belted-out vocals which float atop the moody atmosphere. The song is about someone who overthinks to the point of their own detriment, as the chorus follows: “Maybe you should be / Not so obscure / But you think too much / Gets out of touch / Not yourself enough.“
“George [Ellerby] wrote the main riff and named the song Jude, which reminded me of a pub called Jude the Obscure, where I went with a friend from university. He’s a brilliant writer and is doing a PhD in philosophy, but he channels his talents into relentless overthinking. Some of the lyrics reflect the bitter pints-deep tone of our conversations, which has been described as the dynamic of a witch-hag and her raccoon accomplice.”
-Hanna on “Jude”
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