Pip Williams
Pip Williams is a UK-based writer and editor who focuses on pop music, pop culture, and queerness' intersections with the two. Following a three year stint as Pop Editor at UK music blog The Line of Best Fit, they are currently taking some time away from music writing to focus on their day job as a veterinary surgeon (though would drop everything to interview Kesha or Florence Welch). They currently live in Manchester with their two cats and numerous plants.
55 articles
List of articles in the library
The Aces' When My Heart Felt Volcanic is formulaic but fun
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 6 April 2018
Comparing The Aces to Haim is definitely overdone, but the similarities between the Californian sister act and the Utah quartet are hard to ignore. ...
Lauren Aquilina is learning to live with her growing collection of ghosts
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 10 November 2020
Two years on from a two-year hiatus, Bristol-born singer/songwriter Lauren Aquilina has announced her first project since 2016 debut album Isn't It Strange?. ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 5 July 2019
On her debut LP, BABii presents a DIY electro-pop vision that's distinctively her own ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 4 May 2018
Aisha Badru's identity is made crystal clear on her debut record ...
Courtney Barnett: Coping Mechanisms
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 15 May 2018
Ahead of her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, Courtney Barnett tells Pip Williams how she's embraced anxiety and used it as a ...
Live Review by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 20 February 2016
BIRDY'S SHOW at East London's Oslo marked both a triumphant debut for her new material, and a point of note along an unusual career trajectory. ...
Blossom Caldarone: On the Rise: Blossom Caldarone
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 5 December 2018
Blossom Calderone is making waves with her storytelling pop bops. ...
Cavegreen's Vita Lucida's only problem is being over too soon
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 24 March 2017
Vita Lucida is the debut album from Washington-based duo Cavegreen, and comes following 2015's Journey of Return EP. The band is composed of Eleanor Murray ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 8 December 2017
DO YOU REMEMBER the first time you heard 'Boys'? On first listen it might not have seemed like anything special — perhaps a bit repetitive, ...
Charli XCX: LGBTQ+ production company launches with alternative music video for Charli XCX's 'Boys'
Report and Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 9 December 2017
YOU ALREADY know the song — the ubiquitous 'Boy' (pipped to the top spot in our tracks of the year by SZA's potent 'Drew Barrymore') ...
Drowners' Matt Hitt on their new album, On Desire
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 10 October 2016
Drowners burst onto the indie-rock scene in early 2013, quickly attracting attention with their classic sound and charismatic line-up. Since the release of their debut ...
Elder Island: Track By Track: Elder Island on their Seeds In Sand EP
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 8 December 2016
Elder Island discuss the varied influences on their Seeds In Sand EP, including a much-missed feline friend and acid house vibes in their live show. ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 7 May 2019
The newest twisted, candy-coloured cut from Elliot Lee ...
Florence and the Machine: Florence + the Machine: High As Hope
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 29 June 2018
Florence + the Machine boast sincerity over spectacle on fourth record High As Hope ...
Foals' Yannis Philippakis (2015)
Interview by Pip Williams, Rock's Backpages audio, 19 June 2015
The Foals frontperson talks about the band's latest album What Went Down: the progression from previous album Holy Fire; writing in Oxford but living in London; being pushed by producer James Ford; his songwriting progress; songs like 'Mountain at my Gates' and 'Knife in the Ocean'; wanting to tour again... and after which he's photographed by his interviewer.
File format: mp3; file size: 22mb, interview length: 23' sound quality: *****
Foals' Yannis Philippakis (2015) [transcript]
Audio transcript of interview by Pip Williams, Rock's Backpages transcripts, 19 June 2015
This is a transcript of Pip's audio interview with Yannis. Listen to the audio of this interview. ...
Foals' Yannis Philippakis on What Went Down
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 28 August 2015
Foals aren't the kind of guys to mess around. It was a matter of days between the fuss-free announcement of fourth studio album What Went ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 18 August 2015
FOALS AREN’T doing too badly these days. With four studio albums and a mixtape under their belts, they're one of the biggest guitar-bands to come ...
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 29 February 2016
When you hear the word Foxes, what do you think of first? The cute and cuddly urban mammal? Or the similarly cute and cuddly Louisa ...
Profile by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 16 May 2018
Christened into the music industry at this year's SXSW, Melbourne's G Flip is getting people seriously excited. ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 2022
GRANT brings the drama to every facet of debut album In Bloom ...
Live Review by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 18 September 2015
KOKO IS one of London's most splendid gig venues; a converted theatre at the foot of Camden High Street that plays host to an eclectic ...
Joe Hertz talks about the How It Feels EP
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 6 October 2016
Joe Hertz talks early mornings and post-Brexit Britain on new EP How It Feels. ...
Becky Hill: The Real Reality: Becky Hill
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 17 March 2017
Becky Hill doesn't want a TV talent show to define her. Pip Williams sits down with the chart-topping artist who's taken a backseat from fame ...
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 20 February 2017
Pop heavyweight JoJo reveals to Pip Williams some of the stories behind her third album Mad Love. Covering everything from Wiz Khalifa to the serenity prayer ...
Nick Jonas: Last Year Was Complicated
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 10 October 2016
IN EARLY April, a piano bar in one of Westminster's swankiest hotels played host to a preview of one of the most highly awaited pop ...
Ke$ha: Kesha: Brixton Electric, London
Live Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 22 November 2017
There are few secrets in California popstar Kesha's private life. Her battle with anorexia made headlines, whilst her lawsuit against producer and alleged abuser Dr. ...
Jordan Klassen: Track By Track: Jordan Klassen on new EP Curses
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 1 March 2017
Jordan Klassen writes for us on his forthcoming Curses EP, outlining the stories behind each of the five tracks on the follow-up to 2016's Javelin. ...
LANY on acronyms, albums, and artwork
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 10 October 2016
LANY is an L.A.-based three-piece made up of Paul Klein, Les Priest, and Jake Goss. They formed in 2014, and have since amassed over 40,000 ...
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 18 November 2020
Singer Beth Cornell chats to Pip Williams about songs, sex, and famous fans as she reveals the new Litany single 'Uh-Huh'. ...
Cher Lloyd is bigger than the bullshit
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 4 May 2020
Cher Lloyd cannot think of anything worse than taking up breadmaking in lockdown. ...
Declan McKenna on debut album What Do You Think About The Car?
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 13 April 2017
It's no mean feat, being labelled the voice of a generation. ...
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 26 October 2018
Her new album Forever Neverland may court eternal youth, but MØ won't allow herself the luxury of denial. Denmark's hottest export explains the paradoxical nostalgia ...
MUNA's About U—an unflinching and unapologetic record of the lives of queer women the world over
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 6 February 2017
It's hard to review an album when your words just don't feel big enough. ...
Linnea Olsson: Track By Track: Pop cellist Linnea Olsson on For Show
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 23 February 2017
Linnea Olsson shares her own thoughts on every track of her new EP For Show, including the home-made stop-motion videos that accompany them. Overwhelmingly inspired ...
Interview by Pip Williams, Rock's Backpages audio, 15 October 2015
One Direction's Harry Styles and Niall Horan on their new album, Made In The A.M.; it's release clashing with Justin Bieber's; will the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup; why they don't behave like most rockers; their responsibilities towards their fans; why Ireland didn't beat Poland in the Euro qualifiers, and their fondness for Sweden.
File format: mp3; file size: 14.6mb, interview length: 15' 11" sound quality: *****
One Direction's Harry Styles and Niall Horan On Their New Album, Made In The A.M.
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 18 October 2015
IT'S BEEN A wild year for One Direction. Five years down the line from their original formation as one of Simon Cowell's amalgamations of solo ...
Orla Gartland: DIY 'til she dies
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 19 August 2021
Tomorrow, Orla Gartland releases her debut album, Woman On The Internet. In the decade since the Irish singer/songwriter began uploading tracks to YouTube as a ...
Pale Waves: A Different Kind of Love
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 23 February 2021
Heather Baron-Gracie reflects on the creative and personal freedom she found within Pale Waves as the band celebrate the release of new album Who Am ...
Pale Waves: Back To The Future
Profile and Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 4 January 2018
Pale Waves have already achieved so much, but world domination awaits as they bring their retro-tinged indie to a hectic 2018. ...
Panic! at the Disco: Brendon Urie on his new album, Death of a Bachelor
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 22 February 2016
Hot on the heels of his new album release, we had a chat with Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco. Now we've had a ...
Arlo Parks: On The Rise: Arlo Parks
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 28 January 2019
18-year-old South Londoner Arlo Parks puts identity and generational anxiety at the heart of her affecting, soulful left-field pop. ...
PWR BTTM: Rock BTTM: Why PWR BTTM Were Dropped So Fast
Comment by Pip Williams, Hiskind, 16 May 2017
Content warning: assault This Friday, rising queer punk duo PWR BTTM released their sophomore album, Pageant. What looked set to be a celebration of non-conformity and ...
Sailor & I: Track by Track: Sailor & I on The Invention Of Loneliness
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 24 February 2017
Swedish artist Sailor & I delves into the technicalities behind new record The Invention Of Loneliness. The electronic musician's hypnotic style is lifted by the ...
Savages' Jehnny Beth on new album Adore Life
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 23 January 2016
Savages blazed into the post-punk scene in 2011, releasing the distinctive and menacing debut album Silence Yourself less than two years later. As we begin ...
Shura on her debut album, Nothing's Real
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 5 July 2016
Musically, Shura is an enigmatic beast. She remixed her own disco-infused pop into the echoing and eerie 'Space Tapes', and has worked with everyone from ...
Interview by Pip Williams, Coup De Main, 22 December 2015
We are beyond fascinated by California rapper Vince Staples, who is scheduled to bring his critically acclaimed debut album Summertime '06 to New Zealand for ...
Starling: Track By Track: Starling on The Body EP
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 31 March 2017
Breaking pop princess Starling unpicks for us her new EP The Body, out today. Packed with references to vomit, dodgy exes, and horrible nights out, ...
Sylvan Esso: “We’re a goddamn electronic band!”: Sylvan Esso on new album What Now
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 28 April 2017
North Carolina electronic duo Sylvan Esso open up to Pip Williams about their sophomore record What Now, and plenty more besides. Ahead of today’s release, Amelia ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 21 September 2020
Rife with tenderness and restless energy, Free Love is Sylvan Esso at their most cohesive ...
Sylvan Esso: Gorilla, Manchester
Live Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 14 November 2017
Joyful, unaffected abandon ...
Vaults on "the Ocado delivery" and upcoming album Caught In Still Life
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 30 November 2016
Electro-pop three-piece Vaults chat to us after shouldering the weight of soundtracking this year's John Lewis Christmas advert, one of 2016's most hotly anticipated releases. ...
Tessa Violet: On The Rise: Tessa Violet
Profile and Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 3 July 2019
The colourful, quirky Tessa Violet channels her love of music into a unique electro-pop sound and ambitious aesthetic. ...
Review by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 8 October 2017
Wild Ones' Mirror Touch is the perfect pint-sized pick-me-up ...
Zola Jesus on spirituality and overcoming the lone genius archetype
Interview by Pip Williams, The Line of Best Fit, 20 June 2022
Against a striking backdrop of towering ancient rock formations in Turkey, Zola Jesus filmed the video for recent single 'Lost'. Blanketed in snow, this landscape ...
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