Pierce Kingan- Piercing Your Ears one EP at a Time.
By Maddy Cristall
The multifaceted and talented Pierce Kingan never ceases to create interesting music. Pierce plays bass and co-writes for The Prettys, The Orange Kyte and is the leader of his own project The Pierce Kingans, he is a busy guy. Pierce is also studying music in school and is constantly releasing material and performing it around the city. His music is ever-evolving and perpetually experimental. He has four impressive EPs under his belt that he recorded in his very own bedroom, bringing new meaning to the genre bedroom pop. His music weaves together clever lyrics, instrumental exploration and a surreal execution. His sound feels much more like an experience than a linear project. He deconstructs the pre-established notion of how modern indie music should sound. He rips the rules to shreds and makes polyphonic confetti out of it. The thing is, Pierce isn’t lackadaisical about music, he knows exactly what he is doing. He isn’t trying to seem authentic, he just is and that’s why his music is so compelling. He is also challenging the trends of the Vancouver music scene without meaning to. Pierce is often called weird to which he responds “as if it’s on purpose”. You can’t fake weird, you can only own it which Pierce does with power and grace.
His latest EP Pierce of Cake is arguably his best work yet. It is a refined and distinctive body of music that could easily the summer soundtrack. It is a musical collage of charmingly supercilious ballads and lo-fi lullabies. It graces the edges of mainstream rock and roll before taking a sharp left term into his stylistic experimental edge. Pierce has been sober for some time now and it looks and sounds good on him. He says the best parts of this decision is “saving money and not being ruled by the powers that be”. His next plan is to record another (shocker) EP which will feature one his notorious Pierce puns. He says the “the whole band will focus on vocals and harmony. It will have cryptic sad topics and sound creepy and eerie. It will be an intimate, freakishly familiar feel ... just like your first french kiss.” Pierce will never stop making music, even if he wanted to. He lives and breaths this craft, it’s as if his cells are music notes.
Catch him for the extra special release party of Piece of Cake this Saturday, April 6 at Static Jupiter with Sleeepy Dog, The This and The Great Speckled Fritillary.