- Words Rosie Byers
On new track 'White Collar Blue', multi-talented artist Peter Wise explores themes of feeling stuck and not being able to escape where you came from.
Brooklyn-based artist Peter Wise is a man of many hats. As a singer, song-writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, his eclectic output is genre-blending, weaving together a patchwork of sounds from bluesy guitar to bouncy earworm hooks. With storytelling at the core of his writing and self-reflective lyrics, Wise draws on a range of genres that evolved with storytelling at their core – including 90s neo-soul and early 70s southern California rock.
His latest release, ‘White Collar Blue’, paints an intricate story once again. Set at a 10-year high school reunion, it captures the sensation of suddenly feeling like you’ve fallen behind, whilst everyone else has moved on to pastures new. “I write this song on a bus to Philadelphia during the heart of wedding season in the north east United States. I do a lot of gigs playing very high budget, extravagant weddings,” Wise explains. “These are very interesting opportunities to observe couples and families with a lot of money, and how a lot of times these weddings are all about pomp and circumstance to impress the other families in their social circle, and very little to do with actual affection. I then reflected inward about where I was in my life, and how I felt stuck in the same place while everyone around me had grown up or moved on. I recorded, mixed and mastered all elements of this song, and I’m really happy with how all of the parts gelled together to create this final result.”
Taking ownership of the full creative process for the song, Wise brings his astute social observations to life. His upcoming album similarly draws on universal themes, crafting art from experiences we can all relate to. It’s set to be a huge year for the artist – having opened for the likes of the Eagles and performed worldwide already, he’ll be honing connections with his audience in a live space once again with more tour dates this summer and fall. Watch this space.