Pauli The PSM Unveils New Single, Teases 2027 Album

Pauli The PSM is turning the spotlight fully on himself. The drummer, composer, producer and musical director has signed with Easy Does It Records and is kicking off his next solo chapter with “girl with the nose ring,” a driving new single and video.

Known for building expansive musical worlds alongside major artists such as Harry Styles, Florence & the Machine, Jamie xx and fka twigs, Pauli Lovejoy is now applying that same instinct to his own work. He says his 2023 solo releases, which ranged from “Milkyway” to “Saucy,” gave him the freedom to explore different sides of his musical personality without having to explain how they connected. The new material takes that idea further.

More from Spin:

• Billy Joel’s ‘Turnstiles’ Buffed Up For 50th Bday
• Sasha & John Digweed Open Northern Exposure Vault For 30th Anniversary
• Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy Surveying R.E.M.’s ‘Document’

“This project is an extension of that,” Pauli tells SPIN. “I’m going deeper into building the worlds around those characters.”

For Pauli, that world-building extends well beyond the music itself. “I’m thinking about fashion, photography, objects, artwork and of course the performance,” he says. “I want each song to feel like you could dress as it, photograph it, maybe even smell it. The music is really just the beginning of the narrative.”

“girl with the nose ring,” produced and written by Kyle Berzle, captures that approach with a playful collision of bravado and vulnerability. Pauli describes the song as being about “letting go of being cool enough to actually feel something,” while its lyrics move through Soho House showers, first date mushrooms, rooftop adventures and bad tattoos.

The track also opens the door to a full-length project. Pauli says a new album is due in early 2027 and will explore “love from every possible angle,” including romantic love, lust, ego, friendship, family, self-love and, as he puts it, “bad decisions disguised as love.”

“I’ve spent so much of my musical life helping build worlds around other artists,” he says, “so there’s something really exciting about turning that lens back on myself and asking: what does the Pauli universe actually look and sound like when there are no rules?!”

The new material is designed with the stage in mind, too. Pauli is particularly eager to play “Nose Ring” live, imagining the song as a full-band, volume-up-and-sweat-it-out experience. “There’s something about it that wants to be played by a band, turned up too loud and allow you to sweat out your edges whilst you rock out to it!” he says. “I might even have to dust a pink Strat off the shelf for that one!”

Pauli’s solo career follows an unusually wide-ranging résumé. As Pauli The PSM, he has released the EP The Idea of Tomorrow featuring Idris Elba and the experimental album OFFAIR: The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Vol. 1: SPACE. His additional collaborative credits include musical direction for Maggie Rogers, Charlie Puth and Lizzo, along with touring work with Damon Albarn, Robyn and Sampha. He also served as U2’s MC/DJ during the band’s inaugural Las Vegas Sphere residency.

In 2023, Pauli launched his solo material with “Saucy,” which he debuted at London’s Wembley Stadium, followed by “Milkyway” and his first worldwide headlining tour. Now, with “girl with the nose ring” and an album on the horizon, he’s expanding that solo universe considerably. “I’m entering my era of infinite Pookie possibility,” Pauli says.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.