Pin-Up Went Down is a French
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
band. Although their music is mostly referred to as
avant-garde metal
Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, art metal and experimetal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde music, avant-garde elements, including non-stan ...
, they describe themselves as "an experimental band blending
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
,
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
,
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
, and
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
." Pin-Up Went Down was formed as a
one-man project by Alexis Damien in
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
in 2006, who then added more members.
History
Pin-Up Went Down was formed in 2006, initially as a
one-man project by former
Carnival in Coal
Carnival in Coal is an extreme metal/avant-garde metal band from France. Founded in 1995, the band mixed death metal, black metal and other extreme metal genres with genres such as disco and pop.
History
Originally, Carnival In Coal signed to ...
and Wormfood member Alexis Damien and bearing the name Esthete Piggie. Damien was later joined by singer, writer and photographer Aurélie "Asphodel" Raidron, who had also sung for other projects such as
gothic metal
Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal music, heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different ...
band Penumbra, Howdy Effect and Nowonmai, and the band changed its name to the current one later on. It appeared that Asphodel found that new name for the band.
On 28 March 2008 the duo released their first studio album, ''
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian-Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
'', through
Ascendance Records
Ascendance Records is an independent record label based in the UK founded by Lee Barrett (former bassist of Extreme Noise Terror and To-Mera, founder of Candlelight Records) and Sam Grant (writer, promoter, broadcaster and interviewer for Soni ...
. The album's fusion of different musical genres such as
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...
,
progressive metal
Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
,
death metal
Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
,
symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a cross-genre style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitars ...
and
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
was well received by the critics, and two years later, on 28 June 2010, their second album, ''
342
__NOTOC__
Year 342 ( CCCXLII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Claudius (or, less frequently, year 1095 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...
'', came out also through Ascendance, further developing their unusual musical style and also being well received. In the same year, Pin-Up Went Down was joined by Alexis' brother Nicolas Damien, becoming a trio.
In 2012 the band self-released through their
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
page the
EP ''
B-Sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
'', containing five new tracks.
As early as 2013 the band began to work on what would be their third album, ''Perfreaktion''; however, Asphodel announced that she would be leaving the band in January 2014 to pursue other projects, and since then the album remains unreleased. Shortly after she formed the duo öOoOoOoOoOo (pronounced "chenille"; French for "
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
") with Baptiste Bertrand; they released their first studio album, ''Samen'', on 21 October 2016 through Apathia Records.
Bandcamp - Samen , Apathia Records
/ref>
Pin-Up Went Down was inactive for several years after Asphodel's departure until November 2017, when they announced a compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
entitled ''Remasters'', which would feature re-mastered versions of the songs of the band.
In the autumn of 2019, Alexis announces his new band, No Terror in the Bang.
Line-up
Current members
* Alexis Damien – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, piano, drums, producer (2006–)
* Nicolas Damien – guitars, keyboards (2010–)
Former members
* Asphodel (Aurélie Raidron) – vocals (2006–2014)
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Remix
References
External links
*
Pin-Up Went Down
on Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
{{Authority control
Avant-garde metal musical groups
French progressive metal musical groups
French death metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2006
2006 establishments in France
Heavy metal duos
Sibling musical duos
Musical groups from Normandy