In the infancy of the internet era there were dial-up / email service providers, including my chosen supplier AOL. What has this got to do with The Pineapple Thief (TPT), you ask? Bear with me for a few paragraphs and all will be revealed. One of the plus points about AOL was its extensive range of internet radio stations and I became a regular listener to the progressive rock channel. One day I was surprised, nay gobsmacked, that a song came on sampling some dialogue that I managed to convince myself was taken from the 1982 classic ‘Poltergeist’, my all-time favourite movie.
Some of you will have worked out that I am of course referring to No one Leaves this Earth a track from TPT’s debut album Abducting the Unicorn released in 1999. It was a striking and edgy instrumental (plus vocal samples) that continues to be a top tenner in my playlists, even after I read somewhere that Bruce Soord had pretty much dismissed the album (it has, of course, nevertheless been re-released quite recently). In conjunction with AOL’s prog radio, at the time it was also possible to download a large selection of MP3s for free from the ProgArchives website (possibly a temporary oversight on their part), so I got familiar with a few more cuts from the early TPT discography. Eventually that led me to buy the 3000 Days compilation and my TPT journey well and truly began.
Of course, it came to my attention later that the vocal samples are actually taken from the 1997 movie ‘Eve’s Bayou’ starring Samuel L Jackson, in which another psychic character ruminates on death and the spirit world. That single mis-understanding on my part just happened to be the primary reason for me following the band. And so, it leads to this, twenty-seven, or so, years later, the band releases their sixteenth studio album Far and Wide, and I get the chance to review it.
TPT have always been a post-rock band at heart but Bruce Soord, when subverting the traditional rock song structures, tended towards incorporating progressive elements, with ambitious long-form songs such as Remember Us and Too Much to Lose a regular part of the setlists. His down-to-earth lyrics and astute commentaries on the vagaries of real life are often spell-binding, and in combination with the unusual and surprising musical settings, the band has secured a loyal following and critical acclaim.
When Your Wilderness was released in 2016, the vacant drum position was filled by Gavin Harrison, as a guest, and subsequently he joined the band as a full member, also becoming an additional writing partner for Bruce. Gavin Harrison’s musical style has become a bigger influence as time has gone on, to the extent that the previous album, 2024’s It Leads to This, (an album that was chock full of bangers, I hasten to add) was co-written by the pair, and came across, to me, as the Bruce and Gavin show, to the extent that I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to listen to another album that could turn out to be a doppelganger. However, seeing the band live for the first time last year, and thoroughly enjoying Bruce’s recent solo output, it wasn’t really an option to miss out on Far and Wide.
This time, Bruce and the band have done a magnificent job of tweaking a number of elements of their sound, to come up with what we all long for when an established band delivers a new release – progression! Something the same, but a bit different. Musically, the three obvious differences are that firstly, the drums appear to be softened by an extra hint of reverb and they sit a bit deeper in the mix, secondly, that this change in emphasis in the mixing has brought out additional colour from the synths and the bass lines, and thirdly that Bruce is much more liberal with his guitar soloing (this was in part through enthusiastic encouragement from Gavin). It all sounds and feels like a more cohesive band of equals, and the songs themselves also seem to encourage that process, with more time and space allowed for them to be developed in face-to-face group writing sessions.
The lyrics are as captivating as usual, and Bruce sites two main influences on this set. On a personal level, he looks inward at death and mortality, prompted by the loss of his father, but he also looks outwards at the world, as he puts it:
“We are sharing our deepest fears about the world, but also the fact that we’re all in it together. What I’m singing about is probably what everybody else is thinking. Like, ‘what’s going on?’ ‘Why is this happening?’ ‘What’s going to happen to my loved ones?”.
The set opens in familiar territory, New World Order is a sharp, muscular reminder of the band’s main strengths. Rhythms, melodies, punch, zest, sing-a-long chorus. Four and a half minutes of dramatically elegant post-rock. Then Hold the Ashes opens with the first sign of a fresh approach with Bruce cranking up his guitar front and centre to pick out the main melody as a solo. He fully owns this song, the lyrics portraying an emotional outpouring as the subject approaches the end of life. He drives it all the way through to the end, continuing the refrain and providing alternative tones and riffs as it progresses. It’s ambitious and spectacularly successful. As the band explains, when discussing the writing process:
“You do start to imagine what a song would look like on a stage, and sometimes that does influence the arrangement,” Gavin Harrison adds. “Like, ‘this would be amazing live when we do this, if this section just went into this other thing’, and you can picture it with the lights and the atmosphere on stage.”
This track in particular embodies that feeling.
In contrast, Still Living, flips the coin and it lands on the band’s contemplative, subtle, shoegaze sound. Letting the song drift over the 5-minute mark provides the opportunity to explore guitar and keyboard effects and melodic variations that are a regular hallmark of TPT’s output. The mood switches back and forth, with the acerbic mantra of ‘God Knows’, essentially a pop/rock song that shouts out its message in the clearest of terms before abruptly disappearing back from whence it came, followed by the gentlest, most melodic track in the set. Unusually, This Empty Space foregoes rhythmic surprises and Bruce uses the extra time afforded in the arrangement to deliver more guitar solos. When you expect the unexpected sometimes the mere fact that nothing unexpected happens is…..unexpected!
Scattering Like Flies is a masterclass in restraint and tension-building. A hypnotic rhythm forms the base layer, with drums, guitars, and keyboards providing depth, colour, and the embellishments that all contribute to a heightened sense of drama. This is also a great vocal performance, combining the higher and lower registers to terrific effect. My favourite track in the set is the stunning Through the Noise, an atmospheric and evocative piece of crisis commentary. Lyrically it focuses on personal reflection, musically it echoes the emotional burdens and the inner turmoil that we all face at some point.
Who Wants It is another archetypal TPT post-rock song culminating in a magical guitar solo and another crowd-pleasing mantra to finish off. The album closes with No Exceptions. Vaguely in the style of some of Bruce’s solo output, it begins with a delicate vocal accompanied by piano and some melodic guitar. It feels very personal as the mood darkens in the middle section before a more uplifting close.
Far and Wide exudes confidence and can only enhance the band’s reputation. Years of hard work, the accumulation of a critically acclaimed catalogue, and more recently, warmly received tours and side-hustles have given loyal fans of the band much pleasure. Now, there is a relaxed assurance about the way that these varied and contrasting songs are held together by the band. Balancing the individual contributions to create a whole that is much stronger than the sum of those parts is the key to this album’s strengths.
TRACK LISTING
01. New World Order (4:23)
02. Hold The Ashes (4:23)
03. Still Living (5:50)
04. God Knows (3:22)
05. This Empty Space (6:22)
06. Scattering Like Flies (6:37)
07. Through The Noise (5:18)
08. Who Wants It (4:16)
09. No Exceptions (7:16)
Total Time – 47:47
MUSICIANS
Bruce Soord – Lead Vocal, Guitars
Gavin Harrison – Drums
Steve Kitch – Synthesizers, Keyboards
Jon Sykes – Bass, Backing Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: InsideOut Music
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 9th October 2026
LINKS
The Pineapple Thief – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram
