Alexander Vincent’s feeling vulnerable but fulfilled. It’s been four years since the producer/songwriter first gleamed meteoric success as drummer of the band Magic!, with its inescapably catchy, chart-topping single, Rude. Now he’s returning to the sound that is most true to him, readying a definitive personal sonic statement that’s been bubbling up inside him for years.
“I got to a place I thought I wanted to get to,” he says. “Then I got there and realised there is no destination, anyway.”
The Canadian artist’s first single, I Won’t is a part electro-pop ballad, part R&B-tinged mission statement. Recorded in brief moments of downtime while on tour with Magic! In Japan, our singer works through feelings of being silenced using a pastoral, measured yet deliberate delivery.
Inspired by the minimalist glitchy shuffle of artists like Aphex Twin and Burial to infuse a genuine groove and feeling into his compositions, this year he returns to his roots with the music in his own name.
Alex has steadily been making a name for himself as producer over the years, too—releasing four tracks with alternative R&B chanteuse Sabrina Claudio, remixing the work of talented friends like Kan Wakan and many others. From arena anthems to home studio bangers, working in a pop context has only deepened his relationship with the nuances of fly electronic music. It’s been a journey that has left Alex fortified with the confidence to release music borne from his singular vision and eclectic inspirations.
This time round he brings us the new single Other People’s Lives, where he opens up about the darker side of social media. A strikingly poignant and relevant composition, he lays down an emotive reflection on his struggle with an subdued, aching vocal delivery.
Commenting on the track, he offers, “I am addicted to my phone and social media. I spend so much time staring at instagram. Comparing myself to other people and feeling horrible. I can’t go 2 minutes without pulling out my phone. It has led to a huge amount of anxiety in my life. I need to stop. I think our society will discover more and more about how much mental health and cell phone use are linked. I think this is a much bigger problem than we realise.”
Listen to Other People’s Lives below