PREMIERE | Juniper Stone, "Patterns"

Going green with Juniper Stone’s Damien Vincent; photographed by Finn Mullen.

As summer drifts to a close, we seek to find some solace from the weight and duress of the world in the otherwise tumultuous pastures of our consciousness and spirit. Longing a sense of respite from news of the world drudgeries of global fallouts, wildfires, a rampant pandemic running wild and the civil and civic unrest within our own foreign and domestic divides — too often it feels as if we are in the liminal air space of a holding pattern without any clearance, space or place to land. From the fatigue and deluge of anxiety we seek that sense of calm that often our world cannot afford. Gallantly with aspirations of great inspiration we turn toward the sights, styles, sounds and other such associated arts that provide a sense of peace that feels woefully lost within the whirlwind of our lives.

Delivering audio and visuals of sweetened senses of serenity is Juniper Stone, the moniker of Brisbane-based artist Damien Vincent. The Musical Industry College graduate unveils a first peek at the spirit assuaging visual single “Patterns” that mixes together a bountiful cornucopia of delights that lend themselves to a tranquility that makes the audience feel as if they are floating in a warm sea of cool botanical colors. Vincent skillfully blends together jazzy lounge elements recalled from dusty scratched vinyl grooves, organized in hues of harmonious unison like a polychromatic pool crafted from poured out paint palettes. The subtle genius of Juniper Stone can be felt in the electric analogue touches that updates familiar old world aesthetics into understated atmospheres that compile vintage radio relics held over from the 20th century into a pastiche of repurposed and upcycled arrangements of prestige.

The video for "Patterns" feels like falling into a mixed-media performance presented in a blur of film, Super VHS magic and stop action animations with anachronistic antiquities on full display in a laid back, luxurious luster. The musical production is further expressed with visual projections of a style that feels caught in some alternate a/v void from the last quarter of the 20th century. Bold billows of slow strolling bass, suave and subtle brass, lazy strums and languid vocals are joined by moving drawings of nature, fuzzy footage of Damien with splashes of DIY pop art cartoons that populate and permeate the artistic universe of “Patterns”. The images blur, blend and bend into a morphing concerto of curiosities, riding the high of the psych jazz steeped sorcery into the video frame of funky frequencies that twist, contort, shift and alter in shape and form. The visuals expands the scope of the track's classical moody crooner fare into a full on far-out psychotropic experience like a flashback from an obscure limited release art house happening that never was. "Patterns" follows these strange and circular cycles of life in lifted subdued psych touches and tones that slowly hoovers upward in a softly rocking ascension of restless thought.

Damien Vincent offered the track and visuals following insights on the track and visual for “Patterns”:

"Patterns" was meant to emulate the feeling I had on a day last year where I was floating along a lake in a small canoe with a good friend, I found myself being quite mesmerized by how beautiful all the ripples and patterns in the water were; that moment inspired me to create the song. I kind of wanted "Patterns" to be a calming lullaby that could take the listener to a mysterious dreamlike world.

All the visuals were created and conceptualized by my friend Indigo Pesu, he’s a very wonderful human with many talents.

Juniper Stone’s single “Patterns” is available now everywhere.