Joji Malani has announced the forthcoming arrival of his debut album with his solo project, Pei.
‘Pei’s Pageant’ is set to arrive October 10 via the ex-Gang of Youths guitarist’s own label, Broth Records. To coincide with the announcement, Malani has shared new single ‘Themesong’. Following on from debut single ‘Honest’ in May, it’s a triumphant, richly-textural cut that foregrounds Malani’s vocals with strings, horns, glockenspiel and a driving beat.
In a statement, Malani explained that he woke up with the melody stuck in his head, around the same time he and a friend were planning to start a football podcast. “He’d been talking to me about it and I just thought, ‘Why don’t I write a theme song for this podcast?’ Obviously, that podcast never happened. I moved back here and I still never told him that I tried to write a theme song for it.”
Listen to ‘Themesong’ below:
Malani was a founding member of Gang of Youths, serving as the band’s lead guitarist from their inception in 2012 and playing on their first two albums: 2015’s ‘The Positions’ and its follow-up, ‘Go Farther In Lightness’, in 2017. Malani announced he was departing the band to pursue other endeavours in 2019, and was replaced by former Noah and the Whale member Tom Hobden.
‘Pei’s Pageant’ will mark the latest in a string of releases for Malani’s Broth Records. Sydney band Coconut Cream released their ‘What Kind Of Music Do You Like To Listen To?’ EP earlier this year, with Meteor Infant, Morgues, Dutch Mustard and Alex Rzyan also among the label’s roster.