Pictoria Vark is a singer-songwriter and bassist from New Jersey, but now based in Iowa City. When she isn't traveling around being a touring bassist with the likes of Squirrel Flower and Pink Shift, she's making her own music. Her third single "Demarest" comes out March 16th and her debut album The Parts I Dread out on April 8th via Get Better Records. Victoria and I talk about all things, from her creative process, and what makes her , herself.
Hi Victoria! Thanks so much for letting me interview you, how are you?
Hi Melody! Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me. I’m doing alright! Currently in the van driving from Lebac to San Francisco, looking at the beautiful California mountains.
How did you get into music?
I guess I got into music slowly in a few different ways! I started taking piano lessons when I was four; my mom’s side of the family is really musical and my aunt went to Juilliard for classical piano so it was in my blood! I started playing electric guitar when I was 9 and slowly started developing my own taste in music through YouTube and Pandora and the like.
What made you want to go by Pictoria Vark? (I love it so much, honestly)
Thank you so much! As I was starting this solo project, I realized that if I used my given name, Victoria Park, it would be really hard to find my music! There’s a lot of parks in Canada and England called “Victoria Park” and some famous YouTuber, too. So making a spoonerism gave me a space where everything there could just be mine and I think that is really cool!
When did you start playing the bass? What sparked your interest in it?
I started playing bass when I was 11 and it happened out of nowhere! I was in like a rock ensemble program and they needed someone to play bass on a song and asked if I wanted to try it out. I ended up really connecting with it and it slowly became my primary instrument! I feel really lucky to have found it.
When did you first start writing songs?
In previous interviews, I think I’ve said I started writing music when I was a freshman in college, but that’s actually not true. When I was in 5th grade I tried starting a “band” with my friend Kayleigh and we tried writing some songs with like the 10 chords I knew on guitar at the time. I wish I still knew where the notebook with all of those lyrics was!
How did you go about finding your sound?
I’m not totally sure! I think it comes from both the songwriting process I do by myself and the full band arrangement and production process I do collaboratively. I think all three draw from different inspirations and schools of thought, which combined make my music sound how it does!
You’ll be releasing your third single, “Demarest” which comes out on March 16th! What was the inspiration behind it?
I wrote this song during the summer and fall of 2019 while I was abroad in Paris! I was there as my parents were moving from New Jersey to Wyoming and wanted to imagine what it would be like to accept change instead of resenting it, even though I didn’t feel that way at the time.
What was the creative and writing process like for “Demarest”?
This song took me forever to finish writing! I remember having a giant notes app list of possible lines to use and kept hunting for the exact ones to capture how I felt. Once I got to the final draft, it felt like such an achievement.
Was the creative and writing process for “Wyoming” different from “Demarest”?
Definitely - “Wyoming” felt more like one of those rare lightning strike moments in writing it and “Demarest” was a much slower burn and took a lot of time and deliberation to get there. I wrote “Wyoming” in two or three days and “Demarest” over four months.
What was it like recording “Demarest”?
I remember as we were demo-ing everything out, we were most worried about “Demarest”; like something felt like it was missing but we couldn’t figure out much. We didn’t change the arrangement or parts at all when we recorded it for real and it ended up sounding so lovely and special.
One of my favorite things about “Demarest” is the lyrics! You’ve written them with a sense of honesty, and vulnerability. My favorite lyric is “It’s not that I’m into punishment, I’m scared of change and I’m cognizant.” Can you touch on that part a little bit more? How did you come up with these lyrics specifically?
Thank you so much! That really means the whole world to hear about this song in particular and that’s one of my favorite lines too! I guess what I’m trying to say in that line is that I’m not trying to make myself feel bad on purpose and that it’s just a knee-jerk reaction. It’s also meant to be kind of funny too; like “I promise I’m not a masochist, I just genuinely feel bad!”
Did where you grow up inspire you as a singer-songwriter at all?
Honestly not particularly!
Who are your musical influences?
So many influences…I think Cat Power’s Moon Pix, Snail Mail, Boris, and Nick Drake were big ones for this record.
During the creative and writing processes do you listen to any bands/artists for inspiration?
Not really! Sometimes I’ll draw on a back catalog of music I’ve liked over the years for specific production/mixing ideas or notes going into recording.
Is there a certain method you follow at all when creating music?
For this record, I started out with writing bass parts and lyrics independently of one another and then tried mixing and matching them to see which would fit together and writing vocal melodies in that process! But I’m trying to switch it up with the newer stuff I’m writing now :)
Are you more inspired by life, or personal relationships?
I mean, what is life if not personal relationships!
You always have your debut album, The Parts I Dread coming out on April 8th! Which is so exciting, so congratulations! How’s that feel? I’m sure everyone will love it, it’s absolutely amazing!
Thank you so much and I really hope so! It feels like I’ve been holding onto these songs for so long and it feels like such a relief to be able to release and let go.
What do you think will come next? A tour maybe?
Perhaps…more on that soon ;)
Last question, we’re always looking for new music! Who should we be listening to right now?
@, Byung, Squirrel Flower, Lightning Bug, Tenci, Maria BC, and Sheryl Crow.
Words by Melody
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