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The following interview introduces Sienna Cureton-Mahoney, the frontperson of Baltimore’s band Pearl, ahead of the release of their debut LP Love and Grief, which is scheduled for release on April 20 via 20/20 Records. In this conversation Sienna explains the reasoning behind the band’s name, outlines the group’s personnel, and shares the emotional and civic currents that informed the new record. Readers will get a sense of the band’s sonic stance — a blend of raw intensity and melodic moments — and how that contrast is intentionally reflected in their identity and performance approach.
Across the next sections we move from the origin of the name to the practical lineup and into the creative mechanics of songwriting. Expect reflections on the local context of Baltimore, a short breakdown of the single “Spiral“, and a transparent description of the band’s writing process that favors personal narratives. The piece also touches on a more ideological wish: what one might change about the music industry’s categorizations, and how the band hopes future shows and releases will blur expected boundaries.
Name, image, and the idea of contrast
Sienna describes the choice of the name Pearl as deliberate contrast: a smooth, precious object set against music that deliberately bites and roars. That juxtaposition—the gem versus grit—acts as a short-hand for the group’s aesthetic. Offstage, members are often understated, which makes their live presence feel unexpectedly intense to first-time listeners. The band leans into this element of surprise as part of their presentation; it’s a designed friction between appearance and sound. Calling the project Pearl is therefore both a branding decision and a statement about controlled contradiction, a motif that threads through their lyrics and arrangements.
Who plays what and how they shape the sound
The lineup is straightforward and collaborative: Sienna Cureton-Mahoney on vocals, Tommy Rouse on guitar, Jesse Hutchison on bass, and Flynn DiGuardia on drums. Together they forge a tone Sienna sums up in three words: cathartic, heavy, and sweet. Those descriptors reflect a balance of catharsis and melody—walls of sound softened by moments of harmonic clarity. Live settings emphasize the band’s kinetic energy while studio work highlights nuance; the same players move between both modes, shaping dynamics so that aggression and tenderness are not opposites but parts of one cohesive language.
Defining the sound in practice
Sonically, the band resists neat pigeonholes. They prefer to think of their music as an evolving repertoire rooted in emotional honesty rather than fixed labels. Sienna argues that the band’s next material will nod to earlier work while also stretching into unexpected territories—an approach she likens to a variety show where artists of different temperaments share a bill. That openness is meant to foreground artistic attitude over strict category lines and to allow the music to find listeners across scenes and tastes without artificial constraints.
The new album: inspiration and politics
Love and Grief emerges from lived experience in Baltimore and an awareness of the fraught political moment. The single “Spiral” channels those tensions—local love, civic anger, and the ways communities hold steady. Sienna frames the record as testimony rather than manifesto: songs capture personal reactions and public anxieties, but they are offered as windows, not directives. The overall message is tempered by hope; despite chaos, solidarity and collective endurance help obstacles shrink in size and meaning over time. That duality—tenderness within turbulence—forms the album’s emotional center.
The writing process and lyrical approach
When it comes to composition, Sienna likens her method to keeping a musical diary. Lyrics are written in a first person narrative that privileges immediacy and introspection: small moments become entry points for broader commentary. The intent is not to speak for entire communities but to present truthful snapshots that listeners can reflect against their own experiences. Musically, sketches are refined collaboratively until the band finds arrangements that support the emotional core of each song. This diary-like honesty underpins both the confessional and communal qualities of the record.
On industry norms and a wish list for change
Asked what rule she would tear up in the music industry, Sienna is direct: she would abandon the rigid use of genre labels as anything more than archival shorthand. Genres, she says, can create exclusionary hierarchies and hinder cross-pollination. Instead she favors programming and promotion that celebrate eclectic lineups and let attitude and artistry be the connective tissue. In practice this means shows where different approaches coexist on the same bill and albums that are free to roam across textures without being penalized for not fitting into a narrow category.
Fans can presave Love and Grief ahead of its release on April 20 through 20/20 Records, and the band anticipates touring and community-driven shows to follow. As the record arrives, listeners should expect an album that foregrounds emotional complexity and a band intent on bridging contrasts—beauty and grit, intimacy and volume, protest and consolation.