Did I feel a little bit jammy having a stream of this one over a week before it was released? Yep. Love me some VC Pines. Be Honest is the first track to be released following his Concrete EP back in May. The track sees him exploding from the confines and pressures of the last year with a new direction but that gorgeous vocal and soulful sound that we've all come to love... you'll want to wrap your ears round this one pronto.
On the new track, he shares: "Be Honest is a culmination of things, it was written towards the end of 2020 - the year of fuckery. So the beginning has this distrust and wariness I think we all had at the time. I wanted to convey my own mental health struggles and of those around me due to these strange, uncertain and lonely times. The tune explodes into this 'no fucks given' feeling that boils and spills over into a sense of paranoia."
"I'd definitely been burning the candle at both ends when this song formed, so I think it's a small yelp for help but at the same time, encompasses the nervousness of the youth of this country. Working on this with Tobie Tripp was dreamy, we really focused on every layer, from BVs to brass to flute and then he sprinkled his magic string playing on top. It has this meatiness to it, but because each layer is so in and out, it has this child-like 'dares' quality to it which I love."
On the evolution of his sound, he adds "I've definitely taken a more alternative direction, focusing more on contemporary and unique sounds and pairing them with soulful vocals. I love working with huge contrasts, so for me, using sounds as imagery as a way to paint a modern picture, paired with the occasional 'classic' instrument such as trombone or rusty xylophones, and a classic soul voice is a perfect juxtaposition."
VC Pines has announced a UK tour for February and March, starting in Dublin at Whelans on 24th Feb and taking in Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol, Brighton and finishing up at London's Jazz Cafe on 9th March. Full dates and ticket info here.
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