Charleston based artist Pierce Alexander announced his new album, ‘The Minutehand’, set for release on February 11th. The ten-song collection is a raw portrayal of Alexander’s ups and downs with feeling certain about the future. Out today is the first single, “Make It Up To You”, a bittersweet song which sets the mood for the rest of the album.
The project oozes a stylish, yet effortless swagger. ‘Make It Up To You’ seamless nods to Pop, Funk, and Indie. Like a sommelier, Alexander pairs the titular and lead single from the project with retro-future inspired and artful visuals in the video, that convey his aesthetic with aplomb. Watch the tasteful video –
Despite light hearted instrumentation, “Make it Up to You” is the epitome of what most people are afraid of in a relationship. The song follows the story of the narrator traveling to be with his lover but the trip doesn’t end up going as expected. Pierce comments, “The lyrics loosely resemble a scenario I witnessed in real life but I’m sure some of my own personal experience subconsciously came into play.” The picturesque lyrics slowly unravel over unique chord progressions with string countermelodies reminding everyone that despite the momentary nature of the relationship, there are also light hearted and sweet moments that will make for great stories to be told later in life. Directed by Dylan Dawkins (Persona La Ave), the music video for “Make It Up To You” features Aurora Star and William Cross Van Horn, with lighting done by Jenna Desmond (Babe Club). All of the scenes were filmed in different locations in downtown Charleston.
Throughout the album, Alexander explores the concepts of navigating through unexpected separation and feeling trapped by the confines of early adult life, as well as stories of other peoples’ situations he witnessed and was inspired by. Whereas his past releases felt more optimistic and certain, this album focuses more on the uncertainty of adult life, relationships, and major life decisions.
After adjusting to new living situations, trying to find his place in society, and learning to healthily grow with someone, Alexander threw himself back into a new songwriting journey. The coronavirus put an interesting twist on the process about halfway through and he was forced to sit with feelings of deep frustration mixed with the occasional flare of optimism, while simultaneously learning to be better about taking the time to enjoy the small things in life.
The title is from a lyric in one of the songs about how, in the end, it is better to walk into uncharted territory and keep living your life even when every part of you wants to just sit with your thoughts and wait for things to feel right again. As a way to keep himself grounded during the tumultuous two-year period of time, Alexander wrote somewhere upwards of about 50 songs. Narrowing it down proved to be difficult but the result is a ten song collection, produced by Josh Kaler (Slow Runner, Hula Hi-Fi) and Owen Biddle (Mister Barrington), that shows a new and more vulnerable side of the Charlestonian musician.
Photo credit – Alexa Eyeler.
Follow: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
