Meet The Innovative Emerging Artist VC Pines
VC Pines is an emerging artist that’s ready to make massive waves with his innovative sound and style. The rising artist journey into music has been an extraordinary one. During his music college days, he discovered that he experiences Synaesthesia – a neurological trait. VC Pines has been able to channel this in his music, helping him create material in a unique and new way.
Hailing from London, the rising talent – also known as Jack Mercer – has worked tirelessly for six months writing and recording his new record the ‘Skully EP’. Tackling topics like loneliness, the evolution of relationships love, and more VC Pines plans on holding nothing back on the new project. With countless festival appearances under his belt, recognition from BBC Radio 6, and his forthcoming release VC Pines is proving to be one of music’s most promising talents.
We got to chat with the singer-songwriter about everything from the meaning of his name, Synaesthesia, his new single ‘Cracks’ and more…
What’s the meaning behind your name VC Pines?
VC Pines stands for Violet Coloured Pines. I have Synaesthesia, so I see colour in my head when listening to and making music. My favourite songs tend to be violet or purple in colour. I also have temporal lobe epilepsy, which plays a lot with your memory/nostalgia/deja vu. I was in New Hampshire in the US for ages when I was a kid, I hardly remember any of it, but sometimes when I have a seizure, I start to remember these massive pine trees and the surroundings.
You discovered that you experience the phenomena of Synaesthesia during your time at music college. What does this mean exactly?
Synaesthesia has loads of different forms, and mine is Chromesthesia. So when I hear a song/sound, it triggers a colour in my head. Some people have it where they smell different smells or taste things, but my brain seems to be colour based. It’s all to do with your sensory wiring in your brain. So people with Synaesthesia literally have their wires crossed, eh…
When it comes to your consumption of music and creating material, how does this neurological trait come into play?
When writing music, each section/chord/chord progression will have a colour to it. Sometimes I let it go where it goes, and other times I’ll know what kind of sound or song I want to make, so I’ll know if I want something that sounds more green or purple or develop darker tones of the same colour.
Let’s bring it back a bit, what were some of your earliest music memories?
My dad got me into Motown and soul from a young age. Then I started to dig through his CDs and found all this punk stuff like Iggy Pop, The Stranglers, The Damned, and I was hooked. So I grew up listening to a mix of those. Then I started to find my own music around 8/9 and found Outkast’s The Love Below/Speakerboxx. I didn’t understand half of it, but it was on repeat, and I knew every word.
When did you decide you wanted to pursue a career in music full time?
I was in college, and I’d just been diagnosed with Epilepsy after months of not knowing what was wrong with me. The year just got worse and worse, and I was exhausted, so I just thought fuck all this, I need to do something that I want to do and stop trying to please everyone, so I went to a music college for a year, then started touring with my old band and things developed from there.
What are three valuable lessons you’ve learned since you started your career?
- Don’t stop writing
- Take time to appreciate the little things
- Don’t stop enjoying it
Your new single ‘Cracks’ is fantastic —funky and soulful. Can you take us into your creative process for the song?
I met Max Helyer from You Me At Six at my show at The Lexington through the drummer in the Violet Collective – Trood, and we were just like, let’s get in the studio ay. Somehow it took us months to get a date in, but we finally did it, and this spewed out. The song’s about deteriorating relationships, but ironically ours has blossomed since writing this. We went to Numen Studios to write with the boys there, and I had a few ideas I wanted to get down, so we started with one and ran with it.
You have a new EP coming out soon. What themes will the record touch on? What would you like your fans to take away after listening?
The EP covers the struggles of self-doubt in the creative industry and how we can try to overcome it. There are themes of isolation and loneliness too, which I think suits life at the moment more than ever. Bluebirds is a complaint to social media addicts and how we need to show our true selves more. Oh, and a vampiric thirst for love…obviously…
Make sure to listen to VC Pines latest tracks ‘Cracks’ and ‘Bluebirds’ below…
