UnCovered: The Missing Peace Discuss the Artwork for Their Single “FIREWORK”

Good vibes naturally revolve around The Missing Peace. The Washington D.C.-based indiecore band released their latest single titled “FIREWORK,” a good representation of the band they want to be. The song features intense breakdowns, tenacious vocals, and melodic, radio-friendly hooks. Their sound is fresh and experimental, combining hardcore, alternative, and pop. It’s modern rock, but it doesn’t quite match the status quo. It’s more dynamic than that.

The Missing Peace first touched down in 2021 with the release of their debut EP, Garage. Since then, they have released several singles, including their most popular, “tîger face.” That song captured the attention of producer Cameron Mizell, who has worked with some pretty spectacular artists. It’s a list that includes Sleeping With Sirens, Memphis May Fire, Avril Lavigne, and Machine Gun Kelly. Mizell came aboard for “FIREWORK,” which promises to be The Missing Peace’s breakout single.

Today we are joined by the band for UnCovered to discuss the pretty expressive artwork that accompanies the release of “FIREWORK.”

Please help us understand what are you trying to convey with the cover’s imagery. Give us details on the concept. Was the single art influenced by any of the themes explored on the band’s track? Is the art for this single related to any of your previous cover artwork?

The Missing Peace: “This piece is emblematic of a couple different aspects of our band and we’re happy with how it turned out. We have the classic peace sign symbol up in the sky. You can see the flames emanating from there and it’s really celestial, overlaying the outline of the moon. And we have a cult ceremony below, definitely an unsettling scene. This single talks about needing to be saved by something, trying to find meaning. People look for meaning and purpose in all sorts of places, and that’s why many people are drawn to cults and cult-like movements…”

How did the artwork’s concept come to you?

“So right after we finished recording ‘FIREWORK,’ we sat down and listened to the rough cut. We all realized this song was going to be our first single from the project with Cam Mizell. Previously, we had been working with an artist on some merch designs, and one of the designs involved this cult imagery we use so often. That little idea inspired us to do something similar for the ‘FIREWORK’ drop, but we took it and incorporated some of our TMP hallmarks, so this is definitely a callback and easter egg for some of our earliest fans, and they’ll know when they see it.”

The Missing Peace “FIREWORK” single artwork

Who created the artwork?

“This piece was created by our guitarist, NICO. Just an insane amount of talent in the digital design realm.”

With the increasing popularity of digital music, most fans view artwork as just pixels on a screen. Why did you feel the artwork was important?

“Artwork for us is vital. Cover art sometimes becomes just as culturally relevant as the music itself. We put a lot of attention into choosing our covers. When a song is streaming, this cover is being displayed on the screen through the entire song. It’s this cover which identifies the song on TikTok and Instagram reels. So cover art is absolutely still relevant.”

What are your thoughts on and/or the pros and cons regarding digital art versus non-digital?

“Non-digital art is absolutely cooler. The raw human output of physical art will always speak to us more than digital. Both are cool, though; digital art allows for visuals you probably couldn’t create by hand, so it’s breaking boundaries in the art realm.”

Who would you like to collaborate with on future artwork?

“We definitely have certain dream artists and photographers we’d love to work with; Ross Halfin is a photographer that comes to mind, among many. For art, it would be crazy to do something with Shepard Fairey. His famous peace fingers design that he’s popularized for almost two decades now would just fit perfectly with The Missing Peace if we did a collab there.”

What are some of your favourite covers of all time?

“Around the Fur, Deftones is one that stands out. We’re partial toward covers that have a cultural influence, most of the time you can’t predict that just by looking at the art. So many factors come into play when you see how certain records come up and suddenly have cultural impact, and that’s one of the most exciting things about cover art, even as digital music threatens its relevance.”

The Missing Peace “FIREWORK” original single artwork

Where would you be most excited to see your single artwork postered or displayed?

“We would love to see it on a mural somewhere in the city.”

What style of art would you be most interested in seeing as a variation of your album artwork?

“Probably in naturalism in an oil painting. That would be sick!”

(The above drawing is part of a larger art piece, which may actually be making its way onto some merch soon!)