After the pandemic made her reflect on her own artistry, Ariel Pedatzur is finding her own footing.

For Ariel Pedatzur, the 2010s felt like a whirlwind dream for any musical act – international tours, performing at some of the UK’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury and All Points East, accompanied by an unshakeable punkitude. But as with many creatives, the pandemic’s restrictions made her reconsider her artistry. Confined to her four walls, forced isolation led to a path of self-discovery.

The result of that mindset shift only came to fruition two years later, during that transitional period where social gatherings still felt bizarre, otherworldly, and at times illicit. Working alongside longtime collaborator Zizi Trippo, Ariel became a support system of sorts, co-writing and voicing unconventional heartbreak anthems. Entitled “some kitschy garbage”, the 6-track EP, as the name pokes fun at, encapsulates the often lesser-recounted absurd side of relationship grief. The realisation that your misery was just a delirious psychosis of sorts.

The project’s opening track, “All My Mind”, kickstarts how any couple’s rift initially will leave you feeling – mellow, surrendered, nostalgic, longing for your past lover. But by the time the EP hits its halfway mark, things start to take a turn. “Sleeping with a stranger,” Ariel sings on “Inhalation”, reminiscent of the proverbial saying that, supposedly, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. The upbeat guitar riffs allude to a promising future, a glimpse of optimism after a long period of sorrow. 

The real change of page, though, comes just one track later on “Itay Feiner.” “Almost cartoonish,” the track embodies the realisation that you’ve fully fallen down the rabbit hole, thinking “what the hell was I even crying so much over for?” The end of the EP comes full circle, a conclusion to the tumultuous feelings one is left to deal with, once all the broken pieces have been picked up. They might not all fit together like they used to, but at least they’re back in your own hands now.

Released four years after its initial recording, the pop-bedroom-meets-quarantined delusion EP was finally released to the world with some emotional step back. Enough time had passed for Ariel to look back in fondness, rather than anger. Avoiding impulsivity, “some kitschy garbage” lands as a poignant time capsule, navigating the highs and lows of newly found independence and self-discovery.

Keep reading, as we chat to Ariel about the inner workings of making this project come to fruition…

Let’s talk about your EP’s name, “some kitschy garbage”. Why did you pick this name?
Eden (Zizi Trippo) and I chose this name because the entire EP is rooted in a breakup. We both felt there was something inherently kitschy about that, and rather than trying to escape it, we decided to embrace it. Perhaps the name was also a way of protecting the vulnerability of the emotions that went into writing this project.

Both you and Zizi Trippo (Eden) worked together on this project. What’s your relationship like in the studio? How do you approach collaborating on music-making?
Eden is a really good, longtime friend of mine and my former bandmate. We spent eight years together working incredibly closely and sharing so many adventures along the way, from making music together to travelling the world and playing shows. This project actually came about after Eden and his longtime girlfriend at the time parted ways. He had written all these demos while processing the breakup and called me to ask if I’d be up for singing on them and helping shape some of the writing. I was immediately up for the task! 

Because of our history and all those years spent making music together, the collaboration felt completely natural. There was already so much trust and an understanding of how each other works, so everything flowed really easily. We ended up completing the project incredibly quickly and recorded the whole thing in just one day, in this tiny little studio room. I think that spontaneity and familiarity really became part of the character of the EP.

There’s an air of bedroom pop throughout this EP. Is that how you would describe it? If not, how would you describe it?
You’re so right! It’s definitely serving that bedroom-pop sound. I think another element that adds to that feeling is the story of how the EP actually came together. We wrote and recorded it back in 2022 and originally planned to release it then, but I don’t think Eden was quite ready to put it out into the world at the time.

Then, a few months ago, completely out of nowhere, he texted me asking if I’d be down to finally release it. In the years between, Eden had moved houses and unfortunately lost some of the hard drives containing the original stems, which meant that when we came back to the project, he could only work with and mix the demos we still had.

I actually think that limitation ended up becoming part of the EP’s charm. There’s this raw, unpolished quality to the recordings that really adds to that intimate, bedroom-pop feeling. And of course, we were already naturally inspired by those kinds of sounds through a lot of the bands and artists we both love, so in a funny way it all feels very fitting.

There’s also a feeling, whilst listening to the EP, that we’re falling down a kitschy set of the stairs. The first song starts off quite mellow, and by the time we get to the final “Itay Feiner,” it sounds like we could be in an unreleased Mario Kart track. What was the intention behind this kitschy evolution? Was it intentional?
I love that description – especially the unreleased Mario Kart track! I think the evolution was intentional to an extent, but it also happened very naturally. We wanted the EP to start in a more intimate and emotionally direct place and then gradually become more playful, exaggerated and almost absurd as it goes on.

There’s something about heartbreak that can feel incredibly dramatic and sincere in one moment, and then almost ridiculous when you look back at it, and I think the music mirrors that journey. As the EP progresses, we allowed ourselves to lean further into the kitschiness – stranger sounds, more playful production choices, and less concern about whether things felt “tasteful.”

By the time you reach “Itay Feiner,” it feels like we’ve fully fallen down that staircase you described. It becomes almost cartoonish, which I really love. That contrast between genuine vulnerability and something playful and slightly ridiculous is kind of the whole spirit of the project – and probably why calling it “some kitschy garbage” felt so right.

How did you go about selecting which songs made the cut? And in which order they were to appear?
We originally had eight songs, but when we revisited the project after all these years, there were two that we felt didn’t sit as naturally with the rest of the EP and, to be honest, we just didn’t connect with them as much anymore. So narrowing it down to six felt quite instinctive.

You initially recorded this in 2022, but decided to release it now. How come now?
We actually intended to release the EP back in 2022, around the time we made it, but I think Eden wasn’t quite ready to put something so personal out into the world at that point, so the project naturally got put aside.

Then, a few months ago, completely out of nowhere, he texted me and asked if I’d be down to finally release it. Enough time had passed that we could both come back to the songs with a different perspective, and it suddenly felt like the right moment to let them exist outside of that little room where we made them. I loved the idea of these songs from a very specific moment in our lives finally getting their life, even a few years later.

What is the biggest difference, to you, being a solo artist versus part of a collective act?
I think the biggest difference is the sense of responsibility and freedom that comes with it. As a solo artist, it feels much more personal because every choice becomes a more direct reflection of you.

At the same time, that’s also what makes it exciting. There’s a freedom in being able to follow an instinct without having to think about whether it fits within a wider identity. I loved being a frontwoman, but working on my own music has allowed me to discover different sides of my creative identity.

I’ve also really enjoyed writing and collaborating with other artists. In 2025, I worked with Eshchar on the Monad song “I See You,” which gave me the chance to step into someone else’s musical world, contribute to the process of making the song and then perform the song live with Monad as well. Experiences like that have been really fun and interesting because they allow me to explore music without necessarily having to sit under my own project. I think moving between my own music and collaborating with other people has taught me a lot about myself as a songwriter and performer.

Lastly, if your listeners could take one thing away from this EP, what would it be?
I think I’d want people to take away that there’s beauty in allowing yourself to feel things fully, even when those feelings are messy, dramatic, kitschy or a little ridiculous. Heartbreak can be all of those things at once, and I love that this EP doesn’t take itself too seriously while still coming from a very real and vulnerable place.

More than anything, I hope people can find a little piece of their own memories or experiences somewhere in these songs – and maybe dance, laugh or cry along the way.