If you’re a fan of slow and enigmatic indie-folk and you are yet to discover Grand Pine, you are missing out.
Starting out as a solo project for the groups vocalist Guy Perkins, Grand Pine has since grown into five piece including members, Mike Ridley, Connor-Black Harry, James Mountain and Pelaya Arapakis.
“We all still have creative agency but Guy writes all of the skeletons of the songs,” remarks Pelaya on Grand Pine becoming a more collaborative outlet.
Expanding on this, Guy elaborated, “It’s been really interesting for me because a lot of the stuff we have recorded as a band, I would of never envisaged in my head.
“It’s a lot more poppy sound than I thought we were going for,” he continues. “Originally I had planned to sound like the early songs from the Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver, but it’s ended up a lot more synth driven, but I’ve loved the finished project.
“When I write songs I don’t have anything particular in mind and then six months I realise that the song had more meaning than I expected,” Guy says. “That’s been really cool as well, seeing how the songs grow and add more meaning inside my head as we expand and grow on the concepts.”
Having recently released the sombre but yet quite uplifting track ‘Feel Alone’, the five-piece have been acquiring some unreal slots, including a headliner show at the Gaso Downstairs.
“It’s a pretty bleak song, which is funny because it’s the most pop orientated song of the bunch,” Guy explains of ‘Feel Alone’. “I didn’t do that a conscious decision.
“It’s quite a straight-forward song in the sense. It will be on our upcoming EP which also features a lot of different musicians featuring, so by straight-forward I mean that the song is just us as a band,” he continues.
“’Back In Town’ is another song on the EP and that has horns on it. We are hoping to integrate a lot more in terms of horns and strings on the EP.”
Utilising the best in terms of local artists to play these fill in spots on their album, Grand Pine have been using their networks of VCA students to acquire their desired sound.
“It’s all VCA kids coming over and lending a hand,” laughs Guy, “they are all incredibly talented and are very interested in getting involved and helping out artists of any style, they have been an incredible help.”
With an EP in the works 2019 is sure to be a huge year for Grand Pine, make sure to check them out while they are still playing in Geelong because within the next few years I have no doubt that they will be making the rounds internationally.
Check them out at www.facebook.com/GrandPineBand/
Written by Alex Callan
