(We Are) Pigs is a new project spearheaded by South African-born producer and singer Esjay Jones. After debuting with a cover of Slipknot’s “Duality” this past summer, she has unleashed an original song “Pulse Queen”, along with a music video premiering right here at Heavy Consequence.
Combining elements of nu metal, alt-metal, and even trap music, (We Are) Pigs is hard to pin down as far as genre. “Pulse Queen” offers Deftones-inspired vocals in the verses, with all-out screams in the chorus.
“I’ve always had a deep love for the nu metal era … honestly, it’s still my favorite time for music sonically,” says Jones of her influences.
Regarding the song “Pulse Queen”, Jones tells us, “We Are PIGS and the song ‘Pulse Queen’ was born out of the ashes of sitting idly by for years while industry executives told their artists how they should sing, look and sound. It’s a sort-of cleansing or purging of those feelings in hopes that I could redeem myself for being part of what I knew was a problem in the industry for so long, but not speaking up out of fear of retribution.”
She adds, “The video captures the uncontrollable feeling of being forced to be something you are not just to fit the mold — having to put on a ‘mask’ to hide who you really are. These songs are raw, they sit right with me, and not because some person with ‘A&R’ on their business card said so, but because I know it in my gut.”
As a producer, Jones has worked with the likes of Alien Ant Farm, Escape the Fate, and Grey Daze (the early Chester Bennington band that put out a new album of revamped recordings in 2020). She also made a name for herself in her native South Africa, fronting the rock band Stealing Love Jones.
More releases from (We Are) Pigs are on the way, including collaborations with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch, P.O.D. singer Sonny Sandoval, and Crazy Town.
The animated music video for “Pulse Queen” was created by Dave The Creator, and can be seen below. The song can also be downloaded here.
