Prolific singer-songwriter Piney Gir is back with a new EP of Halloween-themed music, just in time for the best holiday of the year. Typical of the Kansas-born, London-based artist, the EP is whimsical, creepily kitschy, darkly serious at times, and a hell of a lot of fun. You get the sense Ms. Gir would be an absolute blast to hang around this time of year. She sings a song about funeral homes to the tune of “Cadillac Ranch”, for crying out loud.
“As an American living in London I get really homesick at Halloween,” Gir tells PopMatters. “Here in the UK it’s mostly thought of as a kids night to get candy, but there’s so much more festive fun to be had. I love how in the US, people really dress up and make an effort to decorate their homes with ghosts and pumpkins and cobwebs. As a grown-up now, I love that I can indulge all my childhood fancy dress ideals and just be someone else for a night. Once I was Marge from Fargo, another time I was Jackie O’s ghost carrying around my husband’s brains (pasta shells & ketchup) in a handbag, and another time I was Ann Boleyn complete with the throat slash. I guess this EP represents the many facets of Halloween to me, from remembering the dead, the memories that haunt us, the history that sticks with us, but also at times, the more playful side of Halloween. I called the EP Everyday Witch because it’s okay to be a little bit witchy even when it’s not Halloween. In fact if you listen to the lyrics closely you will hear two actual-real, magic spells, see if you can spot them. I am of course, a good witch like Glinda from the North!”