With growing consciousness around the buzz of social media, the need for validation and the excruciating wait for the same is an all too real ordeal. Vincent George’s trap-infused dreampop track “Fever” is an ode to the same. It is carried in a blanket of shimmery yet ambient lo-fi soundwaves which consumes the listener from the get-go. The repetitive background vocals are an ingenious aspect of the track, in that they manage to have the listener singing along to it by the second verse. The segue to the pre-chorus is through a melodic “anyway”, in which the arrangement and the beat pick up a little speed, completely elevating the sound. The song is entirely from the perspective of someone at the weaker end of a relationship, and the ball is in the other person’s court. The simple, straightforward lyrics show a tender vulnerability which can be contrasted with the intricate production surrounding it. George’s decade-long experience as a producer really shines through in the sound which is polished, detailed, and sophisticated which really makes this song stand out in the booming experimental bedroom-pop genre. The songwriting is honest and very reminiscent of the early 2010s era in its repetitive chord progression. Towards the end, the background vocals, which throughout the song remained timid and subdued, become loud, exaggerated as if being screamed which shows the escalation of the feeling, the uncontained nature of the voices in our heads. It’s a marvelous narration executed skilfully.
Based in London, UK, Vincent George is a songwriter-produced who has previously worked with the likes of Weird Milk, Natives, Cusp. FNE had a chance to interact with them in light of his new single and its music video, to understand the process of making bedroom pop in the wake of the pandemic.
Here’s what happened.
FNE: This is a very home-grown project, like the definition of bedroom pop. Could you tell us more about the creative process behind the song-writing?
VG: This song happened on a weekend where I was on my own. I had the idea of recording a punky downstroke electric guitar, which is my roots, but wanted to record it acoustically through my iPhone in my kitchen. I’ve used my iPhone to record things like claps and other percussion bits in the past but not as the central focus of the song. I knew I wanted 808s and I took influence from how Deb Never manages to carry this grunge influence in her songs with beats. I wanted to do that but in my own way.
I was also listening to a lot of Jean Dawson at the time, he has this song Bruiseboy which is slowed down at the beginning and then explodes into the song. I took influence from that reversing and slowing down elements of the song for the intro which helped build this world before the vocals start which helped put me in this headspace.
I also knew I wanted this knock or snare rim instead of a traditional snare sound which gave the song identity very early on. I think I got that idea from Cautious Clay’s Cold War.
From then on these lyrics just fell out which doesn’t normally happen to me. I normally have to slave away at lyrics to find the ones I feel aren’t generic and actually land how I want them to, it can take months and multiple rewrites, but with this one it just seemed easy. I hate saying that, because when I read that in interviews i’m like, that can’t be true because normally I find it so hard.
FNE: How would you describe your sound here in your words?
VG: Pop that draws from late 90s/early 00s punk, shoe gaze, hip hop and coming of age soundtracks.
The two most influential artists on me personally have been blink-182 and Kanye West for very different reasons. I feel like this is closest i’ve come to combining those sounds with the down stroke guitar, 808s and a hard beat. Although I feel like there’s a better crossover to come.
FNE: This seems like brainchild of lockdown-induced creativity. But it also explores themes of isolation and even, heartbreak. What inspired you to write this song? What is the story sought to be conveyed through the music?
VG: I’ve been trying to do my own artist project for many years, I’ve written many songs but not finished them to a point where I wanted to put it out. I’ve always found it difficult to balance being a producer and an artist at the same time, especially when one pays the bills and the other is more of a passion project.
So there’s always been a reason to work for others which I love but lockdown allowed me the time to basically say to myself, it’s now or never, there’s no excuse, and whilst I was still doing online sessions, it meant the world had stopped and I could give myself the hours to commit. Once the first one was done, I knew I had got over a massive hurdle, and just felt more free creatively.
Before you release the first one, you build up all these ideas of how you want to come across and the truth is, it doesn’t matter, you aren’t defined by one song, it’s an accumulation of all the work you do, but it’s these personal battles that were holding me back.
I was also way too ambitious at the beginning and wanted to write an album from the get go. I’m still an album guy and there’s nothing I admire more but I think in hindsight that stifled my creativity. I found myself with all these songs that were supposed to work together but I couldn’t finish one without the other.
Eventually I just told myself to pick one and go with it. Finish it! It’s something that my good friend EIGHTEENSIXTEEN helped me get over with the help of his additional production.
This is now my third song and the lyrics themselves are about how your mind can quickly spiral out of control without having any facts. The worries and anxieties can take over leaving you a paranoid mess. Many of us deal with when these dark thoughts jump into your head and you have bat them away and tell yourself they are just thoughts.
It’s something I struggled with more when I was younger, and this weekend of isolation just pulled that out of me. The song is linked to the others I’ve released so far and they are all retrospective. They will start to make more sense side by side with every release I put out.
FNE: What would you describe as the best way to enjoy your music?
VG: Late at night, in bed with headphones. I’m saying that because it’s my favourite way to listen. I can feel like you’re the only one awake in the world and its just you and the artist. You can completely immerse yourself. That’s the way I’d like people to listen anyway.
FNE: Definitely, lo-fi has seen growing popularity and is one of the defining sounds of this generation. How do you think your sound finds relevance in the current pop culture landscape? What do you think is the most unique quality that your music has to offer?
VG: Lo-fi production is everywhere, and I love it, it creates a mood instantly, however I’m not an artist who will stay in one lane. I have too many influences to explore. I mentioned blink-182 and Kanye earlier, and those are the extremes, there’s everything in between.
I’ve always been drawn to American artists, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I carry some sort of romantic mystery to its culture, whether its Californian or Chicago, however I’m English, so you’ll hear my english accent come out from time to time, and sayings that are conversational in an English setting.
I feel like in culture there’s this 20 year rule whether its music, film, fashion. As soon as something is 20 years old its time for it to be cool again. Pop punk has had a massive resurgence, so pulling from those influences and putting it in a modern pop way is where i’m at currently. I’ve always had a very pop ear, as apposed to a retro one so I’m always going to have some sort of commercial sounding element to it, even when I’m personally trying to push things further afield it still ends up with pop sensibilities.