On listening to Trinket’s single ‘Figure Skater’ you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a band who had come out of Bristol in the late 80s rather than one from the mean streets of New York in 2023. The recent Sad Club Records signees are a breath of fresh air as they eschew the street punk sounds of their native city for the twee/jangle pop of 80’s bands like Talulah Gosh and the rosters of Postcard and Sarah Records.
Originally started as a solo project for songwriter Madison Kate Proffitt (vocals, guitar), she was quickly joined by like-minded friends Basil Lee (drums) and Nara Avakian (bass), as well as co-writer and occasional live member Sean Camargo, and Trinket was born.
‘Figure Skater’ is the perfect intro to the band’s lilting, lo-fi sound channelling sweet as sugar melodies through hazy guitars and caped off by the band’s poetic, knowing lyrics.
“Figure skater is about recognizing patterns in yourself and people” Madison Kate explains. “Maybe getting stuck in loops, rhythms, and habits. It’s a little bit about existential dread, and a lot about just allowing yourself to exist through those feelings however you need to. It relates to getting comfortable in a relationship, and along with that a feeling of anxiety about it being too good to be true or temporary.
The band’s name was chosen as it represents a strong sense of their sound, something tender and sentimental, and that quilts together their shared love of jangle pop, shoegaze, and twee. The Sarah Records bands that initially inspired them have proven to be a jumping off point for their first songs and recordings as the band explore their sound.
“Growing up I was raised listening to a lot of 60’s British pop and US guitar music. The Beatles, the Byrds, the Kinks. To me, the UK has always seemed like the hub of the best music in the world. As I grew up, spending time listening to hours and hours of music, I started to trace a thread from the likes of the Kinks to Orange Juice to The Clientele, Beach Fossils and Mac Demarco” Madison Kate continues.
“I discovered Sarah Records during the pandemic when I was hungry to find music to keep me company during that time. Finding out that this sound that I have loved my whole life had a hub of activity and life in the 90’s through Sarah Records was so inspiring to me. Listening to Heavenly, Brighter, Dolly Mixture and The Wake, this sound subconsciously weaved its way into what we started to write. It feels so full circle to be working with a UK-based label on this release.”
With more new music to come this year, Trinket feel like a band with big things in their future.
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