Up-and-coming Toronto artist Verzache is starting 2021 off strong – flooding the senses with his wavey bedroom pop love song “All I Need,” the latest single off his highly anticipated major label debut ‘My Head Is a Moshpit’.
for fans of RUEL, Clairo, Eden
Stream: “All I Need” – Verzache
This shit is cheesy, but there’s something magical about dropping the first song I made for this project at the start of this year that feels so right.
An immersive, hypnotic wash of wavey bedroom pop, Verzache’s first single of 2021 floods the senses with feeling. An intimate upheaval of alluring, engulfing sonics and achingly confessional lyrics, “All I Need” is a finely-tuned happy/sad love song: Buoyant in the good times and poignant in the bad, it’s a strikingly resonant moment of vulnerability for the young rising artist as he tees up his debut album.
She’s all I need
She’s something special
Can’t stop her now
Won all the medals
She takes me to
Another level
I can’t let go
Just can’t get enough
Released January 29 via Caroline, “All I Need” Verzache’s first offering of 2021 and the latest single off his forthcoming debut album, My Head Is a Moshpit. Following his recent self-described “sad songs” – “Messed Up,” “Calling,” and “Look Away,” each of which showcases another side to the 23-year-old’s still-burgeoning identity – “All I Need” arrives as a warmer and brighter release, with sweet sounds reflecting those complex emotions we so often find it hard to express through words alone. What results is a colorful and compelling three-minute journey that showcases the best of what young Zach Farache has to offer.
Since debuting in 2016, Farache’s project – cutely named Verzache (“I really wanted to have something that was cool. I wasn’t really thinking of it holding a deeper meaning or representation.“) – has emerged as one of Toronto’s hottest bedroom pop projects. With a sound in-between the soulful pop of Australia’s Ruel and the experimental nuance of Ireland’s Eden, Verzache has racked up millions of streams as an independent artist; 2018’s propulsive single “Needs” – which became a viral hit on TikTok – remains his most popular track, with over 128,000,000 combined streams to date. The self-produced My Head Is a Moshpit, which spans a whopping nineteen tracks, is Farache’s first release on a label, and amounts to something of a coming-of-age reckoning between boyhood and manhood.
“All I Need” is an excellent example of this transition in progress. A turbulent mess of intimate emotions spilled out in a tender, urgent performance, the track dwells in the depths of the heart as Farache reels through love’s dark, uncertain corridors. “Just learned to fly, but don’t know how to land,” he sings in the first verse – a fish out of water, learning the ropes like it’s the first time:
No the seas don’t find no problems not thinking ’bout this
Funny ’cause I’m just tryna forget all this shit
Then again, then again… I can’t, I can’t
Just learned to fly but don’t know how to land
I’ll set sail on what I wanna say
So we can take this up my mind and move on with the day
She’s all I need
She’s something special
Can’t stop her now
Won all the medals
She takes me to
Another level
I can’t let go
Maybe I don’t need to know
“I’m talking about breaking out of my bubble as an introvert and taking on life headfirst, as opposed to hiding,” Verzache says of his song. “I know you’ve heard it before, but anxiety has prevented me from being myself, ruined opportunities for me etc. Stepping out of my comfort zone was a big deal for me, so I was overwhelmed like, “Um, ok you told me to jump so I did…” but now I’m like, “Wait, how the hell do I pull the parachute?!”
In speaking with Farache, what’s perhaps most obvious is the artist’s self-awareness that, despite the streaming success, his viral singles, and label signing, he is still very much at the start of his career. “I always try to tackle songwriting from different angles and different styles to keep myself entertained! I used to be scared of changing methods, but I’ve learned to love the challenge… I’m still working on organization, haha, but I’ll get there!” he says. “I keep getting into so much different shit I never expected, but the more I do, the more exciting and rewarding results I get in sessions.”
Maybе I’ve been up too long
Or maybe I’m still asleep
In a dream, don’t wakе me up
Don’t wake me up
Don’t wake me up
I guess I like the feeling when it’s bittersweet
And I don’t mind us chilling at the party
But I would rather hang out with your body
We could stay up too long and get wavy
Wherever he may go from here, the future looks bright for Verzache, whose budding artistry could (and likely will) go in all kinds of new directions as he embraces experimentation in sound and song alike. For now, “All I Need” captures what this young artist is capable of when he digs deep into his core: Personal, vulnerable, and relatable, this is the kind of complex love song that goes above and beyond the call of duty to express a feeling we all know only too well.
Get to know Zach Farache in our exclusive interview below, and listen to “All I Need” out now. Verzache’s debut album My Head Is a Moshpit is due for release later this year via Caroline.
There’s so much happening in life, and I think “All I Need” is sick because it can be a happy jam for when you are up but depending on your situation and what you take from it, it can be sad.
A CONVERSATION WITH VERZACHE
Atwood Magazine: Zach, it's great to connect! To start off, aside from the similarity to your last name, I'd love to learn the inspiration behind your name Verzache. Is there any symbolism or significance?
Verzache: When I was trying to come up with a music alias I really wanted to have something that was cool. I wasn’t really thinking of it holding a deeper meaning or representation. I spent a lot of time tryin’ to think of something dope and one day my homie made the suggestion “verzache.” Something about that just clicked, and I thought it was fire as hell.
Honestly I was never really materialistic though, I wasn’t attracted to the look of Versace or any luxury brands for that matter. Like for real I was dressing in whatever my mom bought be until I was like 21 lmao. Definitely thought it was cool because of how close it is to my last name (Farache) along with having (Zach) in there too to make Verzache.
By the sound of it, this will be your first label backed release - is that right? What has your experience been working with a label, compared to your previous DIY experience?
Verzache: Yeah this is my first time working with a label and it’s been great working with Caroline! I used to be very skeptical about labels given all the stories I’ve heard in the past, but with the right team on your side it became less intimidating. One of those things you can’t really hang in the backseat for. Once I got an understanding and it all became less ambiguous, it’s more exciting than nerve racking. I’m so pumped for the album drop, I think My Head is a Moshpit is going to get the attention I couldn’t bring in on my own when I was rockin’ solo.
“All I Need” heralds a fresh start for 2021. Why start the year off with this song?
Verzache: This is actually one of the first songs I made for the album! It’s definitely the longest I’ve held onto a song. But yeah I wanted to start off the year with “All I Need” not just because of the energy it holds, but it holds a lot of importance to me as it was written at a mentally rough time in my life. This shit is cheesy, but there’s something magical about dropping the first song I made for this project at the start of this year that feels so right.
I find the introduction to this track so compelling. Can you break down a bit of what we're hearing in that first minute, and how you ended up constructing what ultimately becomes the song's backbone?
Verzache: This is actually how I began making this song, my parents were gone for a few days and I brought all my equipment to the living room. I sat on the couch with my guitar, mic, computer, interface and a clutter of wires… It was a mess. But I started playing that harmonic pluck sound and thought it sounded so cool, so I looped it and started playing a bass line on it. Lyrics, chords, and melodies came quick after, so I wrote and recorded it in a few hours. I remember thinking it was wack, but my homie Young lungs hyped the F out of it lmao – shout-out to him, I probably wouldn’t have put it on the album if it wasn’t for that.
What was your vision going into this song? Did that change over the course of recording this?
Verzache: I didn’t go into this one with a vision… I think It created itself as I went along. At the time, I was making a lot of sad songs – so going back, I think I was trying to portray how I felt, but keep a positive high energy instrumental. The song has stood the test of time, and I haven’t had to change really anything, so that’s a big thing for me.
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Verzache © 2021[/caption]
How do you feel “All I Need” pushes your artistry forward?
Verzache: I’m more excited for what other musicians will take from this and what will be made in the next generations! But as far as pushing my artistry, I think it’s an example of my expanding taste in music – something that I will keep up throughout my career. I keep getting into so much different shit I never expected, but the more I do, the more exciting and rewarding results I get in sessions.
What inspired the lyrics for “All I Need”?
Verzache: I’ll let everyone interpret what they want and i’ll keep that one to myself!
She’s all I need
She’s something special
Can’t stop her now
Won all the medals
She takes me to
Another level
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
Oh I just can’t get enough
''Funny, 'cause I'm just trying to forget all this shit,'' you sing. ''... Just learned to fly, but don't know how to land.'' I loved this imagery; can you dive a little deeper into your words here?
Verzache: I’m talking about breaking out of my bubble as an introvert and taking on life headfirst, as opposed to hiding. I know you’ve heard it before but anxiety has prevented me from being myself, ruined opportunities for me etc. Stepping out of my comfort zone was a big deal for me, so I was overwhelmed like, “Um, ok you told me to jump so I did…” but now I’m like, “Wait, how the hell do I pull the parachute?!”
What inspired you to write about love – that topic that's be covered endlessly, and by every artist on the planet? What do you feel “All I Need” adds to the conversation?
Verzache: It’s a time where young people are writing how they feel and expressing themselves in so many different ways. I think when I started writing it was like, “I feel like this and I have to let it out,” but now for me it’s like, “I feel like this and I have to let it out. I’m sure other people have felt this way and can relate. They’ll know they aren’t alone.” There’s so much happening in life, and I think “All I Need” is sick because it can be a happy jam for when you are up, but depending on your situation and what you take from it, it can be sad.
There’s so much happening in life, and I think “All I Need” is sick because it can be a happy jam for when you are up, but depending on your situation and what you take from it, it can be sad.
Besides this, what are some of your personal favorite love songs?
Verzache: Bright Eyes’ “First Day of My Life” and Bon Iver’s “Creature Fear”… of my own songs, “January” and “Needs.”
Aside from touring/playing live, what are you most looking forward to about 2021?
Verzache: [My album] My Head Is a Moshpit, collaborations, and productions I’ve been working on. I also got hella ignorant rap shit and perhaps a collection shoegaze songs. A lot of music, baby!
What has Toronto's music scene been like for you, over recent years? Who are some of your favorite local acts?
Verzache: I really only recently moved downtown and am getting more into the music scene now. But there’s a lot of dope musicians out here for sure. The Kount, BadBadNotGood, Solicit, George Walter, Zanski, 88glam, Drake – so many more, but those guys are NUTS.
Lastly, we ask everyone this question: Who are some of your favorite up-and-coming artists, who you're listening to and excited about these days?
Verzache: The Blossom, Bülow, Young Lungs, Contradash, Ralph Castelli, Audrey Nuna, PawPawRod, Surf Curse, Aidan Bissett, Julian Skiboat, Zeelooperz, MAY-A, Deb Never, Zaia, Dom Vallie… lmao
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Stream: “All I Need” – Verzache
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