Eilir Pierce is a Welsh outsider musician, songwriter, and filmmaker based in Glasgow. Over the past three decades, he has self-released 39 albums and produced more than 500 recordings across genres such as lo-fi pop, electronic music, post-punk, antifolk, and spoken word. This month, he released “Do-List,” his first official standalone single.
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Having spent much of his career operating outside of conventional music industry structures, Pierce recently moved from Wales to Glasgow to embark on his most ambitious project yet. His upcoming 40th album, titled “Half-Time,” is a synth-pop musical about relocating to a new city and the quest to become a pop star in middle age. The album features guest appearances from Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap and Mercury Prize-nominated Welsh artist Gwenno. Additionally, this project will evolve into a live stage show and a film, with Pierce set to perform a full run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.
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“Do-List” captures the chaotic mind behind these plans. The song reflects the whirlwind of tasks, ambitions, and unfinished ideas as Pierce tries to impose some order on everything he feels he needs to accomplish. Each completed task offers only a fleeting sense of satisfaction, as new tasks continuously pile up.
“I make lists because I’m overwhelmed,” says Pierce. “Then the list itself becomes another source of overwhelm. I tick something off, feel satisfied for about three seconds, and then immediately notice the other 27 things I haven’t done.” He adds, “I also refuse to call it a ‘to-do list.’ The ‘to’ is completely unnecessary. That kind of inefficiency is exactly how lists get out of control.”
“Do-List” is built around tense piano melodies and increasingly agitated vocals. It was developed with Glasgow producer Gavin Thomson into a darker arrangement featuring drum machines, synth textures, and strings. The song’s clipped spoken verses carry the blunt repetition reminiscent of The Fall and the deadpan detachment of Dry Cleaning. The chorus opens into something more vulnerable, echoing the early work of Daniel Johnston and the eerie comfort of the Lady in the Radiator from David Lynch’s “Eraserhead.”
At the heart of the song is Pierce’s hope for an afterlife free from unfinished tasks: “Heaven is a place with no list.” For a moment, the song breaks free from the pressure of constant productivity, only for another task to arise.
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“Do-List” represents Pierce’s attempt to write a direct pop song after three decades of working largely on his own terms. It is also the first step in an increasingly ambitious plan that includes an album, a musical, a film, a Fringe performance, and a bid for middle-aged pop stardom. Perhaps Pierce was born in the wrong era, or maybe releasing a debut single after 39 albums is exactly the point.
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