In the hazy waters between psych rock and ambient soundscapes, Portraits of Pirates has struck sonic gold and bottled it for us in their debut LP, Floating Gold, releasing November 9th. This project marks the solo emergence of Venice Beach guitarist Vince Cuneo, known for his role in the psych rock duo Movie Club. Now, he channels his signature, wandering riffs into ambient territory—a path he first explored as a form of meditation. What began as an introspective exercise soon unearthed ideas with lives of their own, compelling Vince to bring them to audiences at cannabis yoga events across LA.
Rooted in Pittsburgh, Vince grew up as a Pirates fan, and inspiration for this new moniker struck serendipitously a year ago at Disneyland, staring at the pirate portraits lining the walls of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Reflecting on his music’s journey, he likens it to a pirate’s quest: “The concept of this album is just like a pirate trying to find gold. Where is the gold, and how do I try to get to it? I found that I just needed to trust in the initial process of keeping things simple. Make a loop, listen, and feel.”
Floating Gold ebbs and flows over ten tracks, each blending seamlessly into the next like gentle ocean waves. To capture the album’s immersive spirit, Vince created visualizer videos for each song and produced, directed, and edited a music video for the track “Blackbeard” with videographer Bobby Rivero. Laden with pirate imagery and shot on Venice Beach, the video brings the project to life, turning Vince’s quest for sonic treasure into something you can see and feel as much as hear.