Originally hailing from Northern Ireland, current Brooklyn resident and singer-songwriter John Gribbin (aka Building Pictures) makes songs steeped in the emotional lyricism of artists like Glen Hansard, Ryan Adams, and Conor Oberst. Not long after a 2009 visit to the musician haven, Gribbin moved there permanently and began recording and playing at various venues across the city. And while the sounds and textures that he uses when recording as Building Pictures have been used for decades, there is a stolid determination not to merely recycle and mimic the sounds of past artists but to make music that comes from somewhere within and not tied to any particular genre or aesthetic (or artist).
On the latest single from his debut record, West Orchard, Gribbin is carrying the same intimate narrator torch as artists like Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith. “In Her Veins” is the story of a love fragmented and broken. Over a bed of sweeping strings, piano, and acoustic guitar, we’re privy to a relationship just after its conclusion, when all the emotions and pain are still shimmering close to the surface and all we want is a release. Singing as though he can exorcise the hurt through his voice, Gribbins allows us a brief glimpse into a world that many of us know well and would never want to re-visit. But this is Gribbin’s music, and though we know the sounds and sentiments well, he makes us hear them new each time we press the play button.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the latest single, “In Her Veins,” from Building Pictures’ upcoming debut LP, West Orchard.
