Bishop Ivy introduced himself as an alternative-pop songwriter known for his innovative music which mixed organic instruments with digital sounds, field recordings, electronica influences, and samples. Continuing to sharpen that sound, he now embellishes it with pop hooks, sonically adventurous production and autobiographical lyrics. Ivy’s focus on imaginative sound and sharp songcraft began in Boston, where he kicked off his career as a 14-year-old street busker on the neighbourhood sidewalks of Back Bay. Now based in Pittsburgh, where he studies music, electrical engineering and computer science, and with a number of releases under his belt, Ivy hopes to further his ability to manipulate music.
Inspired by boundary breakers like Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, James Blake, and Imogen Heap, Ivy has built his career upon attention to detail. He’s responsible for virtually every sound he creates, with his willingness to juxtapose synthesized sounds with raw, organic music being the driving force behind what he does.
Written a year apart from his previous track “tunnel vision”, “the park” is break up song 2.0. The knack for writing moving, authentic lyrics comes easy to the songwriter. Written from a place of retrospect, the tune talks of his healing period taking longer than anticipated, focusing on positive memories and beginning to let go of the pain and heartbreak. He explains, “The central metaphor is that I locked myself in those good memories I have, which is what “the park” represents. The bridge represents a realization of this and beginning of letting go, which coincides with a fitting change in the music.”
Swooping in with a ballad-esque taste, we’re given the beauty of simplicity with Ivy’s stunning falsetto vocal tone reminiscent of Muse’s frontman Matt Bellamy. In his true style, the backing vocals leave an echoing ripple effect before the upbeat, electro rush comes in through a restrained array of production. Including a creative range of samples, the young musician shares, “The hi-hats include my dad’s motorcycle starting up. The snare is me hitting a stop sign, and another snare is me smashing my skateboard into a wall. What is effectively the crash cymbal was a harpsichord some professor played at my school and I recorded a single note.”
Racking up over 1.5 million streams for his music to date and garnering support from publications such as Live Nation’s Ones to Watch, Clash, Flaunt Magazine, American Songwriter and Earmilk, Bishop Ivy is quickly becoming an artist to watch in 2021.
