poolblood (she/they), the musical nom-de-plume of Toronto’s Maryam Said, is an eternal spirit of punk rock, swirling and dancing in the air with a collection of gorgeously orchestrated bedroom pop music. Today, they announced their signing to Next Door Records, and also shared the new, nostalgic single + video “twinkie.” Produced by Shamir, who also plays guitar and drums on the track, the song is reflective of what pool blood does best – lush and expansive bedroom pop matched with a sensuous and playful visual. 
 
Said explains, “‘twinkie’ is a song I wrote about the tenderness of time, time as a source of love, and the way time is the ultimate parent. Starting over is as sweet as a golden sponge cake.” The scrapbook-esque video, directed by Emma Cosgrove brings a sense of nostalgia, with a rich, vintage feel from being shot on film. “The song is about starting over, so it was great timing to have Emma and I shoot the video while the flowers were blooming,” they say.

poolblood is a beloved figure in the indie music community in their hometown of Toronto. Having grown up in a religious household and kept at arm’s length from popular music, they nonetheless found themselves drawn in by the music of Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), who left an indelible imprint on Said’s relationship to music and songwriting. The result of their upbringing – from time spent practicing chords in guitar class, learning about hardcore from friends after school, and honing in on their songwriting as an early teen – is a winding path of melody, making stops along the way to dabble in everything from noise rock to lush and gorgeous pop hooks.

Photo Courtesy: Jibril Yassin