Exclusive Song and Video Premiere: Holy Pinto’s ‘One Tattoo’
Leave it to gleeful trickster and indie pop-punk artist Aymen Saleh to write a song about a tattoo, even though not a single one is etched on the British ex-pat’s body. Roughly a decade after embarking on his music career with the band Holy Pinto (which initially consisted of Saleh and his friend Ryan Hurley), the artist has now amassed an enviable, consummately enjoyable catalog that is vibrant both aesthetically and musically.
Pretty soon, Holy Pinto’s discography will get a bit bigger with the September 14 release of a new LP, Wedding Season. The fact that the artist meticulously crafted the record is immediately evident from what we’ve heard of it thus far. Saleh has stated publicly that Wedding Season took years of work, particularly with the arrangements, and it shows.
Much to our delight, Saleh – who now resides in Milwaukee and has refashioned his band into a solo affair – gifted The Bad Penny not only with an early look at the incoming album but the opportunity to exclusively debut one of the songs and its accompanying video.
In discussing said song, “One Tattoo,” we learned that Saleh’s thoughts on body art go far beyond skin deep …
Saleh shared a slew of insights about the song exclusively with The Bad Penny:
What is “One Tattoo” about and what central question does it explore about love and commitment?
Sometimes it feels like I’m the only person I know who doesn’t have a tattoo, and I guess it’s from a fear of long-term commitment to one “thing.” I’ve always dabbled with the idea of, were I to get one, it’d have to be this one profound statement that will live with me forever. I’m not sure that’s how life works. This musing on tattoos translates quite humorously to commitment and relationships – and their often indefinite nature. That was something that I played around with in this song.
How did the cities and recording locations where you created Wedding Season influence the themes and atmosphere of the album?
Where a song was recorded greatly impacted the feeling and musical direction on the album. “One Tattoo” is an interesting example, where it’s all super-“in my living room.” It’s a frivolous sunny morning of jamming on your upright piano, stomping your feet and messing around. One mic and a lot of playfulness.
Which artists were musical touch points for the songwriting featured on Wedding Season, and did those influences crop up on the record?
Jens Lekman is a huge influence. Funnily enough, his latest project [2025’s Songs for Other People’s Weddings] – released around the time I wrapped this album – focuses on weddings also but through a different lens. I think there’s lots of late-era Elliott Smith in many of the piano songs on the album. Aside from those, musically, it feels super diverse. We’d have to hone in on individual songs, but I’ll say that I never strayed too far from wanting the music to have loud drums!
For more Holy Pinto information and music, check out the artist’s Facebook account and Bandcamp profile. (Don’t tell anyone, but you might stumble across some pay-what-you-want downloads on the Music page.)
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