ince 2006, Pierce The Veil unassumingly, yet consistently have climbed their way into the hearts of millions worldwide via an unshakable devotion to making honest and hypnotic hard rock. The San Diego quartet—Vic Fuentes [vocals, rhythm guitar, keys], Mike Fuentes [drums, percussion], Tony Perry [lead guitar], and Jaime Preciado [bass guitar]—staunchly uphold that tradition once again on their fourth full-length album, Misadventures [Fearless Records].
We went into making this record wanting to top the last one, something we try to do with every record,” said Vic “We wanted to make one of the best-sounding records out there as far as quality goes,” said Vic. “We weren’t going to stop until we achieved that.”
“We wanted everybody to shine on the record,” added Jaime. “It was important that each member stood out. It was about going with a broader listening range and expanding on what we’ve built.”
That work ethic gradually elevated the band to the forefront of modern rock’s vanguard. Following the success of their first two albums A Flair for the Dramatic [2007] and Selfish Machines [2010], the group’s quiet rise detonated loudly with 2012’s Collide with the Sky. The album would bow at #12 on the Billboard Top 200, move 350,000 copies by 2016, and spawn their first RIAA Gold-certified single “King for a Day” [featuring Kellin Quinn]. In between sold out tours all over the globe and a headline stint on 2015’s Warped Tour Main Stage, the musicians garnered four Alternative Press Music Awards, two Kerrang! Awards, and a Revolver Golden Gods Award. They’ve graced the covers of Alternative Press, Kerrang!, Rock Sound and more, multiple times. Their diehard audience comprises a staggering online presence, encompassing 5.5 million Facebook “likes,” 4.5 million Twitter followers, and 4.5 million Instagram followers. They’ve generated over 200 million cumulative YouTube views (their 2012 “King For A Day” clip alone has logged nearly 65-million views), while Collide racked up 110 million-plus Spotify streams.
With fans properly primed for new music, Vic and the boys wanted to deliver beyond all expectations, but that tall order required both time and travel.
“For every track, I was honestly searching for something meaningful enough to write a song about,” continues the singer. “As a result, they were each written in different parts of the world. I wanted to tell stories. Traveling brought this out of me.”
Between 2014 and 2015, Vic would hole up in Airbnbs across San Diego, Santa Monica, Big Bear, Venice, and New York, writing everywhere he could. He finished penning lyrics while staying at the music-centric Max Hotel in Seattle. Bookending these writing trips, he and the guys recorded Misadventures with producer Dan Korneff in Long Island, NY.
“Dan opened our eyes,” adds Jaime. “He was able to give us the perspective to focus on achieving a cohesive vision.”
“We made all of these sacrifices for the record,” says Vic. “Dan and I got really close, and he just cared about making it right.”
As a result, songs like the first single “Texas Is Forever” see them playing as if their lives depend on it, as speed demon skin-of-your teeth riffing crashes into a powerful chant. “The Divine Zero” ignites another infectious hook, while “Circles” paints a picture of perseverance amongst friends in the face of the Bataclan Massacre—touting the band’s most unifying sing-along yet in the process.
Misadventures remains an appropriate title, reflecting Pierce The Veil’s journey to their most rewarding body of work to date. “Misadventures sums it up pretty well,” Vic leaves off. “We started this with a plan two years ago, everything spun out of control, and we did something completely different. It was done at the right moment though. Now, I hope the notes and lyrics spark something positive inside fans.”
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