Girl at the Rock Shows

“For Love” from Pyrotechnica is a little bit of everything. There’s a strong sense of rock and metal throughout this song but also a little bit of a gamer vibe and, at times, some pop sensibilities that come through in the vocals. What I’m trying to say is that this single is the best of all worlds and I was so excited for the chance to ask Scarlett of Pyrotechnica some questions about a little bit of everything!

How would you describe your music to your parents?
Hi mom and dad, I write pretty words and melodies over my fiancé‘s Japanese RPG gaming,
heavy rock music that he writes. It’s a pretty good time. Here, have some merch.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Any Don Broco concert! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them a total of three times, and they were
amazing every single time. They just get better and better and more fun each time!

What’s your favorite thing to do outside?
I like going to different places with my dog. I have a three-year-old rescue named Estrella. She goes soft core hiking with me, she goes with me when I take my car for a joyride and she’ll
go walking with me anywhere dogs are allowed, for example, certain parks, trails, dog, friendly
patios and restaurants, etc. I don’t play any competitive or extreme sports, and I like exercising in a controlled environment like a gym. So It’s nice to have a cuddly companion to just be outside with.

When playing Monopoly- who is the banker, who is what;, who is the first to flip the board?
Uh… Ben is the banker, always. He cheats though, so watch out for that lol.
I am the shoe, I think. Or maybe the thimble? I just really gravitate toward items that stands up
correctly, you know? The looooooooser flips the board. Aahaha!

Everyone says that every crowd is their favorite but, what city has the best audience and
why is it Minneapolis?
Is it Minneapolis because Minnesota has really awesome and nice people? I don’t think I have been in Minnesota at all, so I can’t really say anything yet. I’m sure you guys are amazing.
I think from memory if I recall correctly, I liked a crowd in San Diego a lot when we toured in 2019. That was kind of cool!

What’s your go-to coffee order?
It’s just plain coffee, I just take it hot and black if there’s nothing else. I usually like a little bit of either creamer or sugar. It doesn’t have to be both. I think I’m lactose intolerant so I don’t usually take dairy creamer, so that’s that.
If I go to somewhere like Starbucks, I would probably order either a white mocha or a caramel
macchiato. Iced, of course.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?
I really like Italian sausage. So if that is ever a choice, that would be my go to.
I also really like green peppers, mushrooms and pineapples. There’s nothing wrong with a little
sweet with that savory.

What’s your favorite method of listening to music?
I really like listening to music with headphones on, connected to my phone. I usually use Spotify or YouTube to play music. I really like collecting CDs, though, that’s another story. Some of them I never even open because I just buy it to support the artist. And I like physical things that I can actually touch and own. I can just conveniently listen to it on my phone.

What’s the worst concert you’ve ever been to and why?
I’m probably going to let Ben remind me because I try to block those from memory if possible. But once he reminds me, and I remember, I can probably elaborate about it lol.
And yes, I did not start going to concerts regularly until I met Ben.

Favorite lyrics of all time?
It’s a phrase in Mandarin:
就算失望，不能絕望.
It means: even when you lose hope, never despair.
I have these lyrics tattooed on my right arm because I held onto these words since childhood; I
think since 2005 when that album came out (五月天 – 神的孩子都在跳舞).
I was a very quiet kid with pent up anger and went through a tough time during my teenage
years and my early 20s, just being really cynical and not very self confident. I worked very hard
for years to identify the source of my anger and found ways to express it in a healthy way. So I
feel like these words just help motivate me to choose a healthy and happy lifestyle, with real
sources of support from friends and family.
I teach school age kiddos, and I’ll never get tired of explaining this tattoo to them and seeing the
light come on in some of their eyes.

If you were to rob a bank, what would be the song playing in the getaway car as you
escape?
Dynasties and Dystopia
By Denzel Curry, Grizzle, Bren Joy

What’s one thing I should know before listening to “For Love”?
It’s badass and it’s make you move! Just kidding. Not really.
You need to prep yourself by imagining yourself as the most badass person on the planet who
has been given this power that you can somehow wield really easily and you’re ready to take on
fucking Thanos, man. That’s the vibe.

There’s something almost futuristic about “For Love” which makes me feel like you are
the right people to ask– do aliens exist?
Oh heck yeah! The truth is out there…it’s there.

The way you guys match the power in this song to the power of the imagery in the video
is absolutely insane! Who came up with the video idea and imagery?
That’s actually cool that you thought that. Thank you! We actually just rocked out like we usually do in a B footage, which is the play through parts of our music video. We actually had this whole other concept with me in a black dress and some angel wings for the A footage, but it ended up being not the look that we were going for so we decided to just use the play-through footage. Our videographer, Lance Gergar had the idea of throwing in a few key words in the chorus, in the background so that was cool.

“For Love” is a heavy song but there’s a sense of tenderness that comes with the vocals.
Which came first to create this super great juxtaposition? The lyrics/vocals or the
instrumentation?
For this particular song, the instrumentals came first. But our first draft sounded a bit different
from what you’re hearing right now, a bit more electronic. I wrote lyrics last minute I believe a
couple of weeks before going to LA to record with Hiram. I was in kind of a rut, writing, but I
wanted to push myself to complete it before a true deadline.
The lyrics came from me feeling very lonely and misunderstood. I was sad and in my feelings
about having trouble making and maintaining close sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants type of
friendships. And it did not help that everyone’s morale around me was declining in the midst of
the pandemic.
Glad we made it into a sick song.

You knew it was coming, do you ever use pyrotechnics at your live shows?
It’s not really a secret, but I’m actually really afraid of fire. The heat just spooks me.
But yes, if we have the funds, bring in the heat!!

As far as I can tell, “For Love”; is just a single at this point but could we expect a longer
release soon?
Since GREY, we have only been dropping singles. There’s maybe some talk about a
compilation EP, maybe….

How about some touring plans? Any chance we may be able to catch you here in the
Twin Cities soon?
It’s a matter of WHEN, guys. When have enough listeners out there… when we have enough listeners in the cities leading from Arizona to the Midwest…enough for us to create a tour Route to you… Then absolutely! We would love to bring PYRO to a venue near you!!!

I feel like Scarlett is low key taunting me with that last answer. Seriously, Pyrotechnica is one of those bands that, when you’re listening to their music, you start to envision what a live show would be like. That thought has me beyond excited and full of anticipation so please, reach out to these guys and let’s get them to the Midwest!

In the meantime, make sure to listen to “For Love”, check out the amazing (and powerful) music video for the track, and show this band some love!

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