VC Pines, the moniker of London native Jack Mercer, has paved a path for himself over the past few years as a figurehead within alternative soul music. Diagnosed at 17 years old with temporal lobe epilepsy, which manifests itself as synesthesia (a condition where one can associate colors and emotions with sounds, chords and melodies), Mercer has used this condition as a lens with which he can embrace his creativity. Today, he releases his new EP Viole(n)t Colour, a collection of tracks created over the past year born of emotional and creative burnout.
Viole(n)t Colour stands at five tracks long, with four of them being previously released. VC Pines ability to emotionally connect with listeners is unquestioned, with lyrics that detail loneliness and love and feel like a dagger in the heart. There is a hint of Glass Animals in his vocals in the sense of allurement and infatuation when you hear him sing.
Each track is truly great, but “Chasing The Dragon” stands out with VC Pines vocals shining and the dichotomy of having the emotions of love but also regret for someone. “Something In The Way” serves as the sole newcomer and final round-up for the EP. Its instrumental is striking in its simplicity for the opening before unleashing a gripping guitar, while VC Pines glides over it all with his vocals about the difficulty of letting go and moving on from certain things.
On the track, VC Pines shared this:
“‘Something In The Way’ is about knowing you need to let go in order to move on and grow, but sometimes there are things you really struggle to put down. I’ve always struggled with letting go of the past, I think it’s because of my temporal lobe epilepsy, which really affects and is stemmed from your memories.”
Stream Viole(n)t Colour below and enjoy!