Words by Keane Fletcher

Genre is a funny thing. Sometimes it's helpful to have rules and guidelines, a familiar framework to hang your ideas on. And then sometimes it's as if rules were made to be broken. Enter Noah Parcey (real name Jack Royce), an Adelaide based artist who's sound can only be described as multi-genre: a little bit hip-hop, a little bit psychedelic, and a whole lot of ballsy. Case in point, his debut single 'Fallen Angels'.

The idea strung from how I was feeling at the time with mental health issues which inspired my lyricism (sometimes we just feel like fallen angels)...My goal was to create a sound that felt like a bad trip. 

And (in the best possible way) it does. Equal parts soupy guitar and crisp, staccato beats, 'Fallen Angels' in an exercise in atmosphere, as much stream-of-conscious as it is carefully appropriated sounds and textures. Reminds of that time I ate too many cookies and thought the ground was going to swallow me up. But hey, that's a story for another day.

We recently sat down with Parcey to talk all things music, inspo, and what being a multi-genre artist means to him. Check out our interview below!

1- Where in the world are you based?

I’m based in the amazing city of Adelaide, South Australia 

2- How did you get started in music and why?

I’ve had a love for music ever since I can remember. My dad was always my encouragement when it came to piano, guitar, drums, really any instrument I played. His passion and love for music shone through him everyday and I grew to have that same passion to the point of creating my own and I want to show the world his joy of sound with my own twist. 

3- How would you describe your sound? Who are your musical influences? Have they changed much over the years?

I’d describe my sound as psychedelic/experimental rap/pop which comes from a range of different influences. When I was young (and still to this day) I fell in love with bands such as Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and the like. I loved the use of heavy distortion mixed with dissonance and eerie sound design. Over the years I started divulging into heavier metal and also hip-hop such as wutang , biggie, and MF Doom. This transitioned into my influences today of Nu-metal bands like limp-bizkit and Korn and experimental rap artists such as JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown thanks to some recommendations from mates. 

4- How does the songwriting process usually work for you? Do you have a routine when it comes to writing and recording or does inspiration take you by surprise?

My routine is pretty standard in my opinion but I like to take my time with all ideas that I make and add different elements overtime. My process usually starts by just jamming on my piano; making interesting chord progressions and from there, I add different layers of synthesisers and FX plus drum patterns to finish. I tend to write my lyrics and ad libs after I’ve finished instrumentals but on some tunes I’ve been working on, it’s the opposite. 

5- Can you tell us a bit about your latest release ‘Fallen Angels? How did the idea come about? What was the process of putting it together like?

The idea strung from how I was feeling at the time with mental health issues which inspired my lyricism (sometimes we just feel like fallen angels). Making the instrumental was an interesting process and the original beat I made for the track was more inspired from trap which I slowly changed by using thick textured synths and deep bass lines over time to make a more psychedelic sound. My goal was to create a sound that felt like a bad trip and I was pretty happy with the outcome. 

6- Also, can I just say how amazing the cover art is for this single! Can I ask who it’s by?

Thank you! My amazing cousin Callum drew the cover art based off a photo I took of myself which looked pretty demonic. You can find more of his work on his Instagram @callum.Royce.art

7- How important have streaming services and the internet been to your career so far? In your opinion, are platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud making things easier or harder for artists? 

Streaming has been a great tool for me so far. Not only are people able to listen to my music through streaming, but also it’s helped me connect with my audience and help me create content more targeted for them. However, with such easy access to releasing content online, it does make it challenging to reach a very wide audience because of how many artists are releasing music all the time. 

8- And finally, what's next for you? I believe there’s an EP in the works? 

There’s a lot that I’ve got planned for the future in terms of releasing music. For starters, my newest single will be released in the upcoming month and I’m excited to see how people react to it as well as learn from the feedback that come with every release. And yes! An EP is in the works which will feature a lot of music that I’ve been working on for the past 2 years. I’m very excited for what the future holds and I hope to provide the best quality music the world will want to hear. 

Thanks for stopping by Hipland!