Perfect Skins

After a two year gestation period the Perfect Skin’s new baby will leave the comforts of the Golden Egg Recording Studios and take it’s first intrepid steps out in to a new musical landscape in September.

Hailing from Portlaoise, the Skins as they are affectionately, known have taken the scenic route on this occasion and allowed themselves the breathing space to concentrate on producing their
new record. Suffice it to say that all gigs and public appearances were kept to a minimum for the last two years to allow them more time to fine tune their latest offering and it has paid off. The songs on the new album are well crafted and given the optimal musical accompaniment.

Lots of things have changed in the Perfect Skins camp since their last birth with new arrivals of the human kind competing for centre stage. It can’t be easy holding down day jobs to make ends meet and trying at the same time to create a seminal piece of work but the Skins are probably luckier than most having the luxury of their own recording studio. Talking to band member Dick Duff however one could detect an eagerness to get back to the live circuit and give these new songs the full live treatment as the Skins do best.

And getting out there and playing live is the icing on the cake for the band. Although they may have many hours on their respective clocks having existed in many previous incarnations including the Mere Mortals and the Products there is still a youthful enthusiasm and indomitable spirit and eagerness to succeed. However success will be on their own terms as the Skins maintain control of their destiny handling all aspects of the business from recording to distribution. Their “can do” attitude means website design, myspace pages, band posters etc are tasks that they willingly take on board.

One wonders what drives these four Skins then to continue in the music business but spend a little time in their company and you are struck by their sense of humour and self depreciation. Reports of their annual mystery tour confirms that a sense of fun comes high on their agenda.

The title of the Skins new album is “Obsession”, and it certainly has been that for the last two years. 12 original songs penned by the band have made it on to the album. This new album sees the Skins explore new territory in terms of sound and lyrical content.
There is an honesty and integrity to this offering that seeps into your being and grows in stature with repeated listens. It’s never easy to cultivate new ground and the Skins should be commended for sticking to the task. A quick look at the song titles gives you an indication of the topics being explored here and while serious issues of loneliness, homelessness and exploits of the mind are grappled with the upbeat nature of the music leaves you
in a positive and uplifted mood.

The first single off the album is Lost Control and sees the Skins not for the first time embrace disco. One could be misled however as the album is very eclectic, embracing many music forms, while at all times maintaining a common thread throughout. The band renowned for their live performances have succeeded here in capturing the energy of their live sound without taking away from the subtly and sparseness that these new songs deserve.