Pluto

Inspired by everything from the morning, to dusk, to love, to strangers they have met on their travels - Pluto combine elements of modern Sci-fi-delic, rock’n’roll power, pop sensibilities and gliding vocal melodies, to create music that evokes feelings from all parts of the atmosphere.

The Auckland five-piece have carved their name across the New Zealand music landscape with a highly reputed live show, two critically acclaimed albums and an aura of mystique & intrigue.

Since releasing their debut album Red Light Syndrome in 2001 and the double platinum-selling Pipeline Under The Ocean (2005), they have become a band known consistently writing thoughtful, intelligent and memorable songs.

Pluto burst upon the scene with quirky pop/ rock ditties like Hey Little and She’s Jive, to the eerie urban vampire feel of Dance Stamina and the sonic anthem Long White Cross (NZ Music Awards - Single Of The Year 2006).

In October 2007, they return with their eagerly anticipated third offering Sunken Water - the album that will solidify Pluto as NZ's finest rock’n’roll band. Their complex, beautiful approach to composition continues to evolve. The result is an album that plays through, start to finish with professionalism, layers of depth and most importantly and haunting soul.

“We tried to combine some of what we’d done on the first record and some of what we’d done on the second record, and then sum that up and finish this chapter,” says guitarist/vocalist Tim Arnold. “I imagine the next record will be something quite different as well. Every album seems important though. We went into to record this one with an attitude of knowing we could make the best one in us.”

“I think every time you do go in to make an album you get better at the process, so the third one for us is the best one that we feel we’ve done,” adds guitar/vocalist Milan Borich. “We’re all immensely proud of it. We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this and I think we came out the other end on top.”

Recorded in the lush surroundings of Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studio in Auckland, the band holed up for a month after a solid period of honing the army of new songs they had created over the past couple of years, since the release of Pipeline Under The Ocean.

Whilst actualising the songs they had written, between battling at Table Tennis, the band tracked together and recorded live takes as a band for the majority of the sessions, to capture the essence Pluto are so loved for. The results are an album that sounds like it would and should be played on stage.

Their gritty and thought-evoking new single French Grave has already received great support from the bNet. French Grave, as always, is a step forward for Pluto; incorporating one of the country’s tightest rhythm sections in drummer Mike Franklin-Browne and bassist Mike Hall, the ethereal finesse of Matthias Jordan’s keyboards and the stellar guitar work and vocal harmonies of Milan Borich and Tim Arnold.

“French Grave is a slightly political song,” says Milan “It refers to the way that any country can be influenced by the west and the cold hard truth of that. But that’s not to say the theme of the album is political. The rest, well, there’s family elements and because we’re all in relationships, there are love elements too. There are a number of things that can inspire the songs we write.”

United in their love of Black Sabbath, the Kinks and the Seattle grunge movement of the time, Borich and Arnold began making music together back in 1994, after meeting through a mutual friend. Upon spending a period of time living in London and traveling through Europe, the pair arrived in Germany, lost all their money and had their vehicle locked up in a Munich car impound. It was soon after they headed back to New Zealand with a new, singer/songwriter acoustic approach to their music. The combination began to take shape as they penned the bones of what would be Pluto’s debut album. Recorded with Borich playing drums, guitars and vocals and Arnold playing bass, guitar and vocals, they soon recruited the rest of the band and cemented the lineup in March 2001:

In September of the same year, they released their stunning debut Red Light Syndrome to an glowing response. It’s now been six years, through ups, downs and adversities they’ve grown as people and musicians.

“We have changed I suppose. Our egos have quietened down,” laughs Milan “We’ve got older and we’ve managed to stay together which is a feat in itself.”

“That’s why you have to have so much respect for a band like Shihad,” adds Tim “It’s twenty odd years and they still seem to love it and they still seem to be able to enjoy one another’s company, so for us that’s really important, and an achievement to stay together for this time.”

The change has shown in their music also. The musical evolution and diversity of Pluto, shows them now as a band who can transcend between introspective acoustic pop, to writhing rock’