Prism Tats Changes Name To Gary V, Shares Psychedelic Video For New Single

"It was great being Prism Tats for 6ish years but indescribable to finally be myself, Gary V," explains Garret Van der Spek. Van der Spek recently decided to adjust his stage name from Prism Tats to one closer to his given name - Gary V.

"Prism Tats was a moniker that served me well but was always going to be a barrier preventing myself and the listener from engaging with my songs in the personal way that I have always strived for," Van der Spek explained. "My music has always been an entirely solitary creation, just me writing and recording alone at my studio Gary'z Place. However now during the pandemic, losing my day job and having nothing else to do to maintain sanity but make music, it seemed obvious to me that the time had come to say goodbye to Prism Tats and embrace the inevitable."

Today he has shared his first song as Gary V titled "Eternal Returns (Déjà Vu)". In the song's colorfully psychedelic new video, aliens from beyond the 5th dimension pursue mind bending experiences. Watch it below.

Of "Eternal Returns (Déjà Vu)" Van der Spek said, "So easily we forget. So easily history repeats itself. All the while there is infinite possibility, an understanding just beyond our fingertips, just off axis, a distant memory, a feeling like we've been here before..."

This past June Van der Spek released his first cover song, a moody rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Avalanche". Called "a stirring rendition of the classic" by Closed Captioned, listen to it HERE.

Originally from Durban, South Africa, van der Spek relocated to the U.S. after years of playing in local bands and working on solo projects. Since his self-titled debut arrived in 2016, Gary V has landed support slots with indie-rock icons like Guided By Voices and Nada Surf, toured on his own and with a band, and continued to write and record steadily. In 2018 he released his sophomore effort Mamba on ANTI-.

Listen to the new single here:

Photo Credit: Dan Monick

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