The band was formed in 1989 by bassist Mark Clayden with guitarist and programmer Johnny Carter, later joined by vocalist JS Clayden and Stuart Toolin. During this time, the band played with local bands and soon gained attention of the Peaceville Records. During this time, JS went to live in France to sell paintings.
During 1990, the band started recording their début album, Industrial, with the main vocalist being Mark Clayden instead of JS, who contributed with backing vocals. The band later went on a small tour with bands like Napalm Death.
Their first few releases had a distinctive industrial sound where the influential gaze of Godflesh was abundantly apparent.
The simplified 808 style drum tracks and sluggish drone guitars evolved over the next decade to produce some of the most intense loop based crunching metal/punk riffs and hard floor dance rhythm sections.
Throughout their highly acclaimed career although often commercially overlooked, Pitchshifter were often heralded with founding the Electro Punk genre with JS Claydon's 'sex pistols' barrages on the current state of the UK, simplistic chord driven guitar lines and the inclusion of more and more elaborate sampling and synth based elements.
Similar to previous attempts at this meld of minds such as Pop Will Eat Itself (PWEI) Pitchshifter created an intense and dedicated fan-base who still work hard to promote the outfit.
Although the band officially ceased to be after releasing the album PSI, they have continued to reform for the occasional festival appearance or one-off event each of which is accompanied by one-off releases for ticket holders.
Since shutting down the PSI-political propaganda machine, members have gone on to work on various projects together and solo, including This is Menace, a super group comprising of members of Amen, Hundred Reasons, Funeral For a Friend and Earthone9.
Mark Claydon is now a regular tutor at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), and runs a regular advice column for bands just starting out in the UK-based Total Guitar magazine (available through Future Publishing).
Innit
Pitchshifter Lyrics
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The lyrics to Pitchshifter's song "Innit" convey a sense of frustration and disillusionment with society and the world at large. The song suggests that people are more concerned with their own self-interest than with working together to solve larger issues. The lyrics also point to a sense of isolation and detachment from others, with lines like "I'm so disconnected / Like a part of me's been lost."
The chorus of the song, "Innit, innit, innit / Everybody's talkin' that bullshit," seems to criticize the meaningless chatter and noise that dominates popular culture. The repetition of the word "innit" itself is a slang term used in British English as a contraction of "isn't it" or "aren't they," further emphasizing the disconnect between people and the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
We said we'd never do it again
We promised each other that we would never repeat this mistake
But I guess we lied
Our promise was not kept and we went back on our word
We try to ignore it
We attempt to avoid acknowledging the issue at hand
But we know that it's true
Despite our efforts to deny it, we are aware of the reality
We said we'd never do it again
We made a pact to never repeat the action again
But we knew we'd never last
It was clear from the start that our resolve wouldn't endure
We try to justify it
We make excuses to rationalize our behavior
But we know we're wrong
Deep down, we understand that our actions are incorrect
Innit, innit, we know that we're wrong
Indeed, we admit that we are wrong
Innit, innit, we know it all along
From the beginning, we knew the truth but chose to ignore it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNATHAN CARTER, JON S. CLAYDEN, MARK CLAYDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind