Vance Joy reveals long distance relationship inspired new single

Vance Joy’s latest single, Missing Piece, is another one for the lovers – including himself.

Vance Joy’s new single is inspired by his long distance relationship. Picture: Supplied

Vance Joy may not have released an album in three years, but the Melbourne singer/songwriter now knows that his patient audience haven’t deserted him.

The musician agreed to play three pop-up busking shows in March, including Melbourne’s iconic Flinders Street Station, just days after Michael Gudinski, who’d organised the gigs, died.

Gudinski was an early champion of Joy, signing him to his Mushroom label after falling
in love with the song Riptide.

“I wasn’t sure if it was just going to be passing foot trade,” Joy tells SMARTdaily of his busking dates, announced on his social media less than an hour before they took place. However hundreds flocked to his back-to-back busking sets; he similarly heard the roar of the crowd playing at Music From the Home Front on Anzac Day – another Gudinski brainchild.

“You can feel that people might forget you,” Joy admits.

“Artists always need some kind of affirmation and positive reinforcement. We’re pretty sensitive. So when you play it gives you that dose of attention. That’s probably an element of my life that I’ve missed, playing to people and getting that feedback.”

Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy has returned to making music. Picture: Supplied

THE RETURN

While he couldn’t tour, last year Joy played songs regularly on Instagram, then held fan concerts online. During his Direct Line sessions, two fans recently got engaged, on Zoom, while he was playing his song I’m With You.

In January he released his first new music since 2018 sophomore album Nation Of Two – the single You was a collaboration with dance act Marshmello and songwriter Benny Blanco.

The song has had more than 100 million streams on Spotify (Riptide has cracked 1.2 billion streams).

His latest single, Missing Piece, is another one for the lovers – including himself.

It was written about Joy and his Spanish girlfriend, and penned with Joel Little (Lorde, Taylor Swift).

While he’s based in Melbourne, she lives in Barcelona and the song is about their long distance relationship.

“I started writing it in Melbourne in lockdown. A lot of people were separated from their partners. In other songs I’ve talked about going home and that feeling of wanting to see someone.

“Whatever that does emotionally, I like that kind of story. I’ve steered towards putting more of myself into my songs more recently, more consciously. It’s just happened that way. This song is more direct.

“I’m in a happy place. There’s a real comfort in knowing you have a really good thing and it’s not going anywhere.

“What you have isn’t just for right now, it’s a long-term thing. Little bumps ain’t nothing. The distance is a challenge, but it’s all good. That’s a theme in some of the songs I’m writing now.”

Vance Joy at Music From the Homefront. Picture: Josie Hayden

Vance Joy spent much of last year in Spain. Picture: Supplied

THE PROCESS

Joy says Joel Little was the top of the list of people he wanted to work with on his new music.

“I figured we might be in the same time zone because he was in New Zealand. Zoom songwriting in itself is a bit of a lottery, you’re not synched up timewise.”

Little came up with a “cool guitar riff” which features in Missing Piece’s verses.

“So I started singing a melody and the storyline was emerging that it was about two people separated. I had some nice memories of being in Spain, swimming on the beach. The lyrics are literal, I sing ‘happy wasted days, summer’s golden haze narrows’ and that captures those days in Barcelona in summer. That European summer vibe, a little bit hazy. It’s nice to capture that in a song.”

THE TRAVEL

Joy has now made two trips to Spain to be with his partner; spending four-and-a-half months with her during 2020.

“I went through all the right channels, had all the right documentation. And I accepted the risks of leaving. It’s not a luxurious thing to go and live in a busy part of Spain, a country with way higher cases than Australia.”

COVID shutting down any touring also provided a long-overdue taste of regular life for the musician, who had been touring fairly consistently since Riptide became a hit in 2013.

“It created opportunities to grow not necessarily just professionally, but I could look inward, build a proper life, digging deeper roots. I probably would have been touring and doing trips to America to do songwriting. I would have filled up my time.

Vance Joy doing a pop up gig in Hardware Lane in March. Picture: Josie Hayden

“But I got to just live a day-to-day life, which is such an ordinary thing that people should have in their life. It’s such a source of deep satisfaction and when you’re content with your love, if you’re touring all the time you can sacrifice that and not know you’re missing out on something. My friends are all doing it in Melbourne, they’re building lives together, living in houses together. A lived-in house is such a warm environment. So I got to do that, get that ordinary joy that everyone should have.”

Joy is busy working on a third album, writing with regular partner Dave Bassett as well as James Earp (Lewis Capaldi).

“I just want to have about eight songs that I can just play on the guitar and sing my heart out to them, then I’ll know I’m ready to record the album. I’ve got about four so far, so I’m well on the way.”

There are currently no touring plans, but Joy has a dream of an old school nationwide jaunt.

“I’d love to do a big Australian regional tour, when it all goes back to normal.”

Missing Piece is out now

Originally published as Vance Joy reveals long distance relationship inspired new single