ONEFIFTEEN: Joseph Pancucci's new project set to release debut single 'Get It Right'.
Riding the high of a recent reread of the Fat White Family sort-of-memoir Ten Thousand Apologies, it hit even more bizarre when Joseph Pancucci sent me a message. The topic of discussion was his new project ONEFIFTEEN, which now I’m here to tell you about.
It’s a rebirth of sorts. First appearing in The Metros, a sort of late noughties teenage time-capsule that remarkably managed to wrangle a song onto Gossip Girl, Joseph followed this with a several years long stint in Fat White Family. During this time, in the simplest way to put it, a lot happened. Joseph could be frequently found somewhere in the midst of cult success, endless touring and rather intense dynamics. In more recent years, he’s wound up in various different outfits but ultimately has landed on ONEFIFTEEN. This time, it feels significantly personal and Joseph is at the centre of it.
The man himself was raised in South East London. Joseph found an intrinsic connection to music from a tender age, time spent in bands morphed into a found family situation alongside the constant challenges, unpredictability and ultimate goldmine of inspiration. If you’re aware of the trials and tribulations of being a member of Fat White Family you can probably begin to understand the creative life that Joseph Pancucci has endured. You can also begin to understand Joseph’s decision to take time out from the war zone of post-punk musicianship. This reflective period and an ADHD diagnosis seems to have done Joseph a world of good. Now with a new approach, attention is being placed on ONEFIFTEEN.
ONEFIFTEEN’s sound was crafted and perfected for months in studio alongside producer Patrick James Fitzroy. The desire for this new endeavour is creating more introspective and meaningful art, and upon listening to the debut single ‘Get It Right’ this vision feels incredibly clear. It’s a real bittersweet anthem, the trip-hop elements give it a groove necessary to stop all listeners from spiralling. Like most things in life, there’s a beauty woven within its melancholy. Yes, you can’t always get it right but that feeling is never distinct to you - universally the individual will always misstep but all that exists is simply fleeting. You can choose to find fear in the fact that nothing will ever stay the same, or you can choose to let it comfort you in times of need. There is beauty in change, you just have to have the eyes to see it. ‘Get It Right’ reads as a collection of experiences that left Joseph at the point of seeing the beauty in the change occurring around him.
Alongside ‘Get It Right’ is an especially poignant music video compiled of clips of Joseph’s early life. It cuts between a Halloween party and time spent in Blackpool, his father’s hometown. Seeped in nostalgia, we glimpse into various intimate moments of a time where people actually used to throw house parties. Nothing in the video is overtly sad yet it puts across a gnawing sense of melancholic acceptance that defines the song itself. I hate to make assumptions but I can’t help but feel ONEFIFTEEN is a project that Joseph needed to do. It’s a completion of a specific time, some form of closure needed to step into this next chapter.
Don’t fret, this is just the beginning. ‘Get It Right’ is out 27 May and the forthcoming record ‘Love, Rage and Alchemy’ is yet to come. The humanity of ONEFIFTEEN will continue to grow stronger for your pleasure.