FEATURE: Spotlight: The Pill — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

The Pill

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MAYBE not an area…

of the U.K. that is getting as much attention as it should, the Isle of Wight has given us some huge modern artists recently. Lauran Hibberd among them. The brilliant Wet Leg. One more to add to this growing list of Isle of Wight treasures to follow are The Pill. Lily Hutchings and Lottie Massey might get compared to Wet Leg’s Rhian (Teasdale) and Hester (Chambers), but their music and vibe is different. Having just released their new long-E.P., THE EP, they have this incredible release that is connecting with fans and critics. The duo have tour dates coming up. If you have not heard of them or only one or two songs then please do some more exploration. Spend some time with them. Before coming to a few recent interviews with The Pill, God Is in the TV Zine highlighted this amazing new E.P. from an act who are going to playing some big festival stages before too long - I predict that will happen. I know I say this about a lot of new artists, yet it is true in the case of The Pill:

“The Pill have released their hotly anticipated debut, The EP, featuring the fierce, witty new jank-punk track ‘POSH’, first heard on BBC 6 Music earlier this week.

The EP brings together their recent red-hot run of singles that have put them firmly on the map.The EP is their first body of work, and comes just over a year since their joyous and urgent debut single ‘Bale Of Hay’, a track that instantly grabbed the attention of key tastemakers like Steve Lemacq. They quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting new duos in town, with ‘Scaffolding Man’ and ‘Woman Driver’ tracks setting them apart with their chaotic brand of DIY punk. Live, they are a sensation. Serving satire, their fresh, frenetic sets light up the venue. GIITTV were delighted to chat with them after their Rockaway Beach set earlier in the year. Read here.

Behind their bubble gum lyrics and fierce hook-laden riffs hides whip-smart, witty, searing social commentaries on gender stereotypes. Their stagecraft, banter and synchronicity are phenomenal. With basslines that would make The Breeders proud, they gloriously juxtapose a lightness of lyrics with a buzzsaw of riffs and breakneck guitars. Their songs are freewheeling, frenetic and hook-laden, giving them the potential to be huge.

Speaking of their new track, the band say,

“Written on a night out, about a night out. ‘POSH’ is drawn from the point of view of the messy, bratty, party girl personas we put on for a laugh after a few too many drinks. It’s a wild, stupid parody of ourselves and our music.”

The band just played to a packed crowd at The Great Escape in Brighton which follows spectacular dates with Big Special and HotWax. They’re currently on tour with Panic Shack before heading back to London on 18th June for their first headline show there at The Grace. Alongside ‘The EP’ they have announced a string of dates across the UK in September”.

I am going to move to an interview from DIY. It is a great introduction from a duo who are growing their fanbase and are getting respect and love from radio stations and many corners of the music press. As they have an E.P. – or is it a long-E.P., technically?! – out there, I know they will be bringing these songs to the stage very soon. I would love to see them live, as I can imagine they really connect with every crowd. Such an incredible electrifying act:

“Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

This week, we’re sitting down with The Pill - the no-holds-barred, no-fucks-given duo who marry serious shredding with a hefty dose of fun (think synchronised dance routines, winking lyrical quips, and a brilliant line in slogan-sporting merch). Though they only have four singles to their name so far, the pair - comprised of guitarist/vocalist Lily and bassist/vocalist Lottie - have already stirred up trouble in all the right places: last year’s ‘Woman Driver’ playfully skewers automobile-related gender stereotypes, while latest cut ‘Money Mullet’ decries the comeback of the world’s most Marmite hairstyle. Ahead of what’s set to be a busy old year of gigs and grooves, we find out more about The Pill’s story so far…

You hail from the Isle of Wight - musically, what was it like growing up there? What were the first gigs you ever went to?

Growing up on the Isle of Wight is definitely a unique experience, but definitely not a negative one. I mean, we still live here with no plans of leaving! We wouldn’t say there’s an enormous amount of things you can do on the island, but we see that as a good thing as it encourages you to make your own fun, be creative, get drunk in a field etc etc.

Due to the island being this way, there’s definitely a very strong community - we’re so grateful to be a part of the music scene here. Growing up and being surrounded by other creative people has been so influential to us. We have one venue here, Strings, which we and all our friends regularly frequented when we were younger. They weren’t our first ever gigs, but we would say they were the most poignant - we owe so much to going there and watching our friends play multiple times a week!

Your latest single, ‘Money Mullet’, is a bit of an anti-mullet anthem. But what are the worst haircuts / ill-advised fashion moments you’ve ever had? And if you could ban one item of clothing/hairstyle/accessory etc from ever coming back into fashion, what would it be (and why)?

Lottie has definitely had a lot of questionable phases, which means a lot of questionable haircuts. She actually even had a mullet at some point - what a hypocrite. But the worst was definitely the emo fringe, we even nicknamed it ‘the wall’ because it was so ladened with hairspray.

And not to be basic, but we’re still big haters of skinny jeans - I know everyone says that, but maybe everyone is right. Oh, and those really tight suits men wear, with the slight sheen and the pointy shoes. Get rid.

What were the first songs/albums/artists you developed an obsession for?

Lily: It definitely wasn’t the first album I got obsessed with (as I didn’t wait till 2017 to listen to music for the first time), but I was definitely obsessed with the Baby Driver soundtrack - it helped me walk really really fast to college every day.

Lottie: Talking of soundtracks, my most listened to album of all time is probably the soundtrack from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. Every single song is a masterpiece and I refuse to only listen to it at Christmas or Halloween - all year round, 365 days, I’m spinning that bad boy.

You recently played one of DIY’s Hello 2025 shows at the Old Blue Last, and things got a bit crazy… How do you go about gearing up for a live show - any rituals, weird rider requests, or hype songs? And what would you say people who have never seen The Pill should expect from a gig?

We had so much fun at that show! Thank you so much for having us and embracing our chaos, it definitely got a bit crazy. Before we play live, we would say the main thing is just trying to get as riled up as possible, a bit like Jack Nicholson before he shot the infamous Shining scene - you know that clip of him jumping up and down with the axe? That’s like us.

Lily: I always have to have at least four Redbulls, and if there’s a bottle of gin hanging around I’ll be very happy.

Lottie: I’m a simple woman, some beers are all I need. Oh, and we always listen to ABBA - without fail.

For anyone wanting to come to a Pill show who hasn’t already (why? Where have you been?), just expect a lot of noise, a lot of shouting, a lot of chaos and lots of giggles”.

I do like how The Pill started out as a joke/fake band. They sort of manifested something online. I like hearing how artists start and how groups come together. A lot of the stories can be run of the mill and boring. No such issue with The Pill! Lily and Lottie have this amazing background and story. They seem almost sisterly in their bond. There is this chemistry and connection that comes through in their music. I am moving to an interview from February from DORK. I do think that the Isle of Wight is this treasure trove of artists that we should all be focused on:

“We actually originally started the band as a joke. Shocking, I know, as we’re so serious now,” explains Lottie, one-half of the band’s core duo. “Back in 2019, we made our Instagram page and hid our identities and tried to build up some fake form of hype over our fake band – obviously bored and procrastinating school work to engage in some sort of weird social experiment.”

The experiment took an unexpected turn when their mysterious online presence began generating genuine interest. “People actually started getting interested, so we thought ‘maybe we should actually do this?'” Lottie continues. “Then promptly booking our first rehearsal and arranging our first ever show, which actually sold out – crazy.”

The band’s formation story becomes even more remarkable considering that guitarist Lily hadn’t even played before The Pill. “We had never done anything like this before, Lily actually learnt guitar for the band,” Lottie reveals. “I don’t think in a million years we would’ve expected what is happening with The Pill today when we were sitting in my bedroom making that Instagram account.”

Their musical foundations, however, run deeper than their playful beginnings might suggest. Both members grew up immersed in rich musical environments. For Lily, The Cure provided an early soundtrack: “The Cure was a huge part of my growing up; I remember listening to their ‘Greatest Hits’ album in the car with my dad on holiday when I was 10, and it stuck with me ever since.”

Lottie’s musical awakening came through both parental influence and popular culture. “I grew up very influenced by my dad’s favourite music; I was a die-hard Queen fan from about the age of 6 months. ‘Radio Gaga’ was the first song I ever danced to,” she shares. A pivotal moment came while watching a certain Jack Black vehicle: “I have a core memory where I was watching School of Rock when I was around 10 or 11 and thinking the bass guitar was the coolest thing ever – I swiftly started learning, and the rest was history.”

The Pill’s trajectory has been marked by a series of increasingly confident singles, each maintaining their signature blend of sharp wit and frenetic energy. Their latest offering, ‘Money Mullet’, takes aim at a particular subspecies of the controversial haircut. “We have had a handful of run-ins with some mullets, a particular kind of mullet,” they explain. “They inspired us to write the song, so we will thank them for that, but nothing else, particularly not the hours wasted cutting them. New drinking game: take a shot every time you see a mullet in London’s financial district.”

Their rise has been particularly meaningful given their roots in the Isle of Wight’s close-knit music community. “The Isle Of Wight is a scene we are very grateful for; you can be creative with all your friends,” they reflect. “Most of our teenage years were spent going to our friends’ shows in our local venue every week, so you’re constantly surrounded by music and creative people.”

This foundation has served them well as they’ve expanded beyond their island beginnings. Recent highlights include commanding the River Stage at the Isle Of Wight Festival and making their European debut at Eurockéenes. The connection with their growing audience remains central to their mission. “Anyone who listens to our music or comes to our show and has fun – that is probably the biggest compliment to us,” they share. “Seeing people laugh at our jokes or our lyrics is very surreal, but an amazing feeling.”

Looking to the year ahead, The Pill’s momentum shows no signs of slowing. “We have a very crazy 2025 coming up. It is going to be the year of The Pill, so will 2026,” they declare. “New music is in the works, too, so keep your ears ready. It’s going to be a big bimbo summer.”

When not crafting sardonic punk anthems, the duo pursue distinctly different interests. “Most days, you can find me outside as I’ve started trying to tame crows, so I’m feeding them to tempt them into a beautiful friendship,” Lottie shares. Meanwhile, Lily has developed a creative side hustle: “I try to spend as much time as I can in my workshop twiddling away at jewellery making. I would like to put my hand to rally driving this year, though?”

I am going to finish off with a review of THE EP by DORK. Before that, I am coming to a great interview from CLASH. Even the duo have a lot of humour and there is this sense of fun about them, they do have a love of drama. The Pill are on the precipice of hitting the big time, so I am not sure whether they will leave behind the Isle of Wight and will reside permanently in London or elsewhere. I forgot to mention that another great Isle of Wight export is Coach Party – a band I spotlighted years ago. I love how CLASH write in their interview: “There’s an “island mentality” insofar that these artists tend not to take themselves too seriously. This homegrown authenticity by putting fun foremost is getting them noticed”. A great chat with the incredible Lily and Lottie:

“The Pill get a real sense of satisfaction when it comes to irritating punk rock music’s self-appointed gatekeepers. Which, by and large, tend to be middle-aged men flooding their Instagram uploads with angry comments.

“Ohhh yeahhh,” Lily Hutchings and Lottie Massey mischievously reply in unison when asked if that’s the case, an impulsive yet perfectly in-tune response which says as much about their mission statement as a band as much as their tight bond as best buds.

“That’s one of my favourite parts of being in a band,” guitarist and singer Lily continues, before bassist Lottie adds, “every day there’s so many men that are so angry. ‘This isn’t punk’ etc. Ok, well I wasn’t fucking asking you. The problem is with social media, I’ll get a bottle of wine, absolutely pissed, and will just be like ‘I wasn’t actually asking you stupid man’ [in a parodying nasal voice], or just lean into it and be like ‘omg you know so much about punk music that I don’t know’. We do rejoice in it, but sometimes it’s a little intense. As a woman, if you’re pissing off men you’re doing something right.”

“It’s funny, now we’ve started to see a few people in our merch,” Lily chimes back in, keeping a chuckle at bay. “It’s hilarious seeing middle-aged men in a t-shirt that says ‘I’m just a girl with big tits’. It’s incredible. It’s probably those guys going home and saying we’re fucking shit online.”

Later that same night, the Isle Of Wight duo played a hometown show for Independent Venue Week at Strings in Newport, the island’s capital. Seeing the crowds double-taking the band’s t-shirt slogans emblazoned with ‘Bimbo, Butthole, Tits’ as they trickled through the venue’s doors was indeed a sight to behold. An amusing one at that.

Throughout their five singles to date – the latest being ‘Problem’, a pogo-ing sub-two minute track that bristles with a kind of cheerleading satirism – The Pill’s approach to making music has been to lampoon provincial attitudes towards women and the stereotypes that come with it, prodding fun at modern life’s many absurdities as well as their own romantic misadventures. Deploying a knowingly cutesy, piss-taking vocal style and with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, you can’t help but snigger along with them. In naming themselves after the contraceptive, they were “just thinking about a girl-centric thing that when we explain to a dude might get slightly uncomfortable.”

Stuffed into one of the venue’s frosty corridors for the interview, Lily and Lottie exude the energy of a chaotic comedy duo with droll senses of humour, bouncing off each other and off the proverbial walls for the most part. Starting out in school as initial rivals – “I was such a jealous little ratbag,” Lottie confesses – the two soon befriended one another and have been virtually inseparable since. After Lottie cites her musical influences which included Amyl and the Sniffers, The Slits, and PC Music, Lily provides hers: “Bit niche. Rain sounds, some atmospheric things going on. No words, just vibes.”

“We can’t be serious,” Lily shrugs. Writing songs with a humorous, satirical slant came naturally to the pair, shuddering at the thought of ever being po-faced in their songwriting. But it also comes from growing up on an island where you’re twice-removed from knowing everyone in your age bracket, so the fear of being judged and mocked is perhaps more acute. “I think because there’s so little of us, you feel weeded out if you do something serious,” she continues. “There has to be an edge to everything you do, to save face.” “If I wrote a serious song, I’d be so cringed out,” Lottie agrees, before admitting “even though I mostly listen to serious music”.

I will end with that review of THE EP from the brilliant DORK. I do love how artists such as The Pill (and Panic Shack) can take everyday subjects and comical angles and mix it with social commentary and deeper subjects. They can address some big themes and inequalities but wrap it around this humour and wit. It makes the music more powerful and nuanced in my view:

“Life’s most cringe-worthy moments deserve their own soundtrack, and The Pill have appointed themselves as chief composers of the uncomfortable. Their debut EP – fittingly titled ‘The EP’ – bundles together their string of infectious singles with new track ‘POSH’ to create a perfectly formed snapshot of why they’ve become one of the UK’s most exciting new bands.

Opening with ‘POSH’, the Isle of Wight duo immediately showcase their talent for wrapping sharp social commentary in irresistible hooks. The track’s tongue-in-cheek take on class tourism and party personas – “No babe, don’t cum on that, it’s Gucci” – deftly demonstrates their knack for finding humour in social dynamics while keeping the energy cranked to eleven.

Across the six tracks, Lily and Lottie’s dual vocals ping-pong between sweet (often sarcastic) melodic moments and urgent calls to arms, while their instrumental interplay creates controlled chaos that’s incredibly danceable. ‘Scaffolding Man’ exemplifies this balance perfectly – its jumpy guitar riffs and playful narrative about unexpected encounters manage to be both pointed and really very funny.

‘Money Mullet’ continues their winning streak of commentaries; what starts as a straightforward critique of dodgy ‘dos evolves into a meditation on identity and social conformity. ‘Problem’ and ‘Bale of Hay’ carry the same urgent energy that made them standout singles, their scuzzy guitar work and hook-laden melodies proving just as effective in the context of a larger release.

The EP ends with a bang, ‘Woman Driver’ taking tired stereotypes and flipping them into weapons of empowerment through clever wordplay and an absolutely massive chorus.

While many of these tracks might already live on your playlist, hearing them together highlights the sharpness of The Pill’s songwriting and their ability to balance serious musical chops with humour. They’ve created a sound that’s smart, funny and ferociously energetic all at once: an absolute riot”.

Anyone who does not know about The Pill needs to follow them now. Go and listen to THE EP and add them to your playlists. They have some great dates coming up. They play London’s The Garage tomorrow (28th May) in support of Panic Shack. Their headline tour begins on 18th June starts at The Grace, London. Maybe labelled as a ‘rising act’ at the moment, the simply incredible The Pill will…