Richard HolmesSong
Too Soft To Live And Too Hard To Die.
Artist
The Picturebooks and Elin Larsson.
The Picturebooks back story
Motorcycle obsessed German duo The Picturebooks hit that Clutch-style sweet between stoner, garage rock and blues.
And thanks to a combination of ass-kicking albums like The Hands Of Time and a frankly frightening work ethic, they’ve captured the hearts of rockers worldwide.
For their upcoming album, The Major Minor Collective, guitarist/vocalist Fynn Grabke and drummer Philipp Mirtschink have teamed up with guest musicians including Clutch’s Neil Fallon, Monster Truck’s Jon Harvey and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale – showing just how respected The Picturebooks have become since they emerged in 2009.
Too Soft To Live And Too Hard To Die – featuring Elin Larsson of Blues Pills fame – is the last single to be released before the album’s drops next month.
In The Picturebooks and Elin Larsson’s own words
The Picturebooks said: “Elin Larsson was on our wish list for a long time now and she was the first on to say yes to work with us on this album.
“We drove to Fagersta, Sweden, to record her in her mother in law´s basement.
“Two intense days of jamming, writing lyrics and singing, good food and an incredible vibe!
“Elin is perfect for this song and Ryan Sinn from The Distillers tops it all off with an incredible performance on bass!
“Thanks also to Sven Pollkötter of Taumel for helping out with the double drums.
“Philipp and Sven played drums together in our motorcycle garage for this one – loud as F..K!”
Erin Larsson added: “I had such a great time recording Too Soft To Live And Too Hard To Die with Fynn and Philipp from The Picturebooks.
We hung out and had a great time writing and creating together. Love these dudes.
“This tune is a banger! Go check it out!”
The verdict on Too Soft To Live And Too Hard To Die
Double drums, an infectious stomp, a splattering of psych… and a big, gutsy ‘ol tune.
That’s what you get when The Picturebooks and Erin Larsson team up and rock out.
Larsson’s soulful delivery dovetails beautifully with Grabke’s wild vocal style, and Sinn and Pollkötter make their presence felt too.
It’s effortlessly cool.
And the sheer quality of Too Soft To Live And Too Hard To Die will make you yearn for an album full of Picturebooks/Blues Pills collabs.
What’s next for The Picturebooks?
The Picturebooks are set to hit the road again in March 2022 for a mammoth European tour, starting in Hamburg on March 13.
The duo will roll through mainland Europe through the spring and plan to head to the UK and Ireland next April for a string of dates, including Manchester (April 19), Dublin (April 20), Glasgow (April 21), London (April 23), Bristol (April 24), Sheffield (April 27) and Birmingham (April 28).
The Major Minor Collective will be released on September 3 via Century Media.
