Vic Fuentes of Pierce The Veil creates an intricate universe around himself. He combines elements from the ordinary, the outrageous, the glamorous, and skillfully stitches them together to form the essence of what Pierce The Veil represents. With a mix of hardcore and rock’n’roll infused with jazz, progressive, and punk influences, alongside deeply moving and genuine lyrics, the band transcends the boundaries of their music. They’ve become intertwined with the whimsical and free-spirited nature of their dedicated fanbase, who passionately craft outfits inspired by Pierce The Veil’s realm, paint their faces, and transform into characters that inhabit the PTV universe. Supported by their strong work ethic and passion, for Fuentes, bassist Jaime Preciado, and guitarist Tony Perry—along with Lionel Robinson on drums during live performances—Pierce The Veil is not just their identity; it embodies the world they’ve created.
Their lyrics become stars, with song lines forming constellations, melodies carving through forests, and riffs shaping valleys. Their music captures every facet of a world where many have found belonging. Collecting songwriting ideas like gathering wood for a campfire, Fuentes has accumulated years of material. “I keep jotting down thoughts in my phone; I maintain a list,” Fuentes shared with Clash while in the hotel lobby in Ireland, the night before launching their I Can’t See You tour across the UK and Europe.
There are numerous lists, each brimming with potential material for new songs or to spark a revolution. When scroll through song titles, Fuentes wades through a treasure trove of one-liners he has compiled, explaining, “I save cool lines… ‘We’re woven into the stars’ – I don’t know where that’s from – ‘The hum of humans’ – I’m not sure about that one either. These are snippets I believe could work somehow.” Searching for phrases like the earliest humans seeking resources for their homes, Fuentes notes, “For whatever song, I’ll sift through those lines; when I need something, I look for the vibe I want to evoke. It’s all about crafting an aesthetic.”
As their aesthetic branches out, integrating sound, visuals, textures, dynamics, and experiences, Pierce The Veil creates a rich world that extends beyond music. Drawing from their deepest influences, they explore what it takes to write impactful songs: “Take the band Bush… his lyrics resemble a mood board. You might not grasp the meaning of many songs, but some lines resonate emotionally. He’s constructing an aesthetic from minds, words, and word combinations that evoke strong feelings—suddenly, your mind sparks with visions and thoughts.” While Fuentes uses that as his guiding star, the context of his work serves as a guiding principle too. Browsing through ‘A Flair For The Dramatic’, ‘Selfish Machines’, ‘Collide With The Sky’, ‘Misadventures’, and ‘Jaws of Life’ feels like examining various states of mind, touching on hopes, dreams, fears, and human experiences.
Pierce The Veil skillfully blends Latin, progressive rock, metal, punk, emo, pop, and grunge to create a unique mosaic of sound that is both intricate and powerful. They embody the spirit of creators, turning minimal materials into grand constructions. Take their 2023 album ‘The Jaws of Life’ as an instance. Fuentes reveals, “Everything truly began when I noticed fashion trends in young people. While driving around San Diego, I spotted a kid in a Deftones shirt and baggy pants that reminded me of my high school friends. I thought, ‘I know this look’… this fashion sparked my desire to create music again, and that inspired the new sound.”
While Pierce The Veil had a devoted fanbase through the first half of their career, ‘The Jaws of Life’ and social media showcased that the band had not reached their pinnacle. With over 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, 500,000 copies sold of ‘Collide with The Sky’—one of their two gold-certified albums—with over a billion streams throughout their journey, the nearly twenty-year-old band has expanded their world even further, reflecting on their beginnings and the cyclical nature of music: “For me, everything starts with the guitar. I revisited what I learned back in the '90s, studying bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and Garbage, all the groups I loved when playing in my garage with my best friend.”
Fuentes reminisces, “My dad taught me various jazz chords as a child, and when my brother and I formed our punk band, I wanted to merge fast punk with jazz chords.” While his father imparted essential guitar skills, friend Curtis Peoples has been a lasting influence on Fuentes, collaborating with him to this day: “I didn’t know how to play then. My dad was teaching me, but I wasn't fully engaged yet
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Vic Fuentes of Pierce The Veil creates a universe around himself. He intricately and artfully combines elements of the ordinary, the insane, and the extraordinary.