Apr 9, 2022

Interview: Pictoria Vark on her debut album 'The Parts I Dread'

Iowa City-based singer/songwriter and bassist Victoria Park (artist name stylized as Pictoria Vark) released her debut album The Parts I Dread on April 8th! She creates her own genre through her groovy melodies and indie rock vibes in songs such as “Wyoming.” Her music reflects her personal experiences and capture the essence of emotions. Additionally, Park tours as a bassist for Squirrel Flower and other bands. Listen to The Parts I Dread out now!

Interview by Yising Kao

Congrats on releasing your new album The Parts I Dread! I love how each song is unique and how you use various grooves/melodies and creative directions. What’s your production process like and how do you critique your demos until you get to the finished product?

Thank you so so much! This really means the whole world to hear. I had a pretty clear vision for each song individually and worked with my co-producer Gavin to achieve that vision. We recorded everything on this record remotely and so we were mapping out production as we were arranging parts, which I think was really helpful in not having to do too many drastic changes to what we laid out in pre-production.

“Wyoming” and “Demarest” share the theme of moving to a new city and going through the emotions of anxiety and acceptance. You do a great job at creating a sense of nostalgia through your music! Since you’ve moved to many different places, how do you feel your experiences have shaped who you are as an artist and what you want to say through your music?

It truly is at the heart of this entire album. It would not be what it is without that catalyst of grappling with those big changes and being physically pushed out of my comfort zone. Sonically, no singular place has impacted my sound that much, but moving around so much has definitely caused me to be more online than the average person to keep in touch with people, through which I've found a lot of really sick music!

“Twin” is a beautiful song to start off “The Parts I Dread” with! I love how it sounds like poetry and how listeners can really take in the lyrics at a time. What made you want to put this as the first track of “The Parts I Dread?”

Wow, thank you so much! Truly means the world to hear. I wanted it to be the opening track because of how it almost acts as a prologue to the album. Narratively, it doesn't fit the rather linear threads of the rest of the album because it's a fictional story about two siblings and musicians drifting apart, but still touches on all the themes to come -- geographic place, change, stasis, and family.

You’ve mentioned in an interview that “Out” has a violence and confidence that you don’t necessarily relate to. What inspired this perspective of the song?

This song is the other song on the record that is pure fiction which is about someone who commits a murder and has to live and grapple with the immediate aftermath before they're caught. It serves as an allegory to how trapped and stagnant I felt in 2020 in Wyoming and how time seemed to stretch on forever.

Get Better Records is an amazing independently owned queer/trans label! How has your experience been getting signed and working with them?

It's been so amazing! I love Alex, Koji, Jordan, Abby, and everyone else there. Truly the best team I could've asked for!

What’s one thing you’ve learned from your job with Refresh Records that has helped you grow as an artist?

It's better to push things back than to rush them!

You tour as a bassist for Squirrel Flower and are going to play bass with Pinkshift soon on their upcoming tour, which is really exciting! There are of course, ups and downs of touring for a long period of time – how do you manage this lifestyle? Can we expect a Pictoria Vark tour soon?

Honestly it's been something I've been figuring out this whole year. The longest tour I had ever done before this stretch was 3 weeks long and now I'm out for 3.5 months consecutively with touring being scheduled through August. What's been keeping me sane is pacing myself and taking it really easy to prepare for the long-haul; not overexerting myself socially, eating fruits and veggies as much as possible, stretching every morning and before bed, planning out drives and fun and alone time well in advance. More on PV shows soon ;)

It’s inspiring to see an East Asian woman killing it as an artist in the Indie/Alternative scene! What advice would you want to share to POC women who aspire to work in the music industry?

Thank you so much! I think just connecting with other people like yourself, like us, is really important. It changed my whole world knowing there were people like me out there making cool shit and not feeling so alone anymore.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

What’s one place you really want to travel to?

I've decided when I'm off tour for a while that I'm taking a solo vacation to Fairbanks, AK. Also excited to go to Montreal on this tour and hang with my friend Colin for the first time!

If you had to work in another touring crew position, what would it be?

Drum tech!!! Genuinely the only thing I would remotely consider doing on tour if not playing bass.

What’s a cover you would want to perform?

"Long Distance Runaround" by Yes or "If It Makes You Happy" by Sheryl Crow.

Dream venue to play at?

Red Rocks!!

Favorite song to perform at the moment?

As Pictoria Vark, "Teenage Malaise"! With Squirrel Flower, "To Be Forgotten" and with Pinkshift "I'm gonna tell my therapist on you."