Royston Vasie

 

We were lucky to have a little chat with the Melbourne four piece Royston Vasie about their latest single That's My Girl and their forthcoming debut album due early next year. I wrote this to their manager Dave a few days ago, "think you have a pretty talented band on your hands. Can't wait to see where they go in the future." 

These days there are so many brands of rock out there whether it’s the vaguely named low fi, indie, and alternative. What attracts you guys to the good, old version? If we can call it that…The band has always been about writing songs that we love. One thing that plays into our favour when writing songs is the fact that all four band members have a different yet broad taste in music. This means that we never really know what ‘brand’ of rock our songs are going to turn out to be. Our new stuff has certainly taken on a garage rock sound which doesn’t come as much of a surprise given our love of music from that era.

That’s My Girl has to be one of our favourite songs at the moment and we can’t help but be a little curious for the rest of the record – do we find out if he ever gets her back? Unfortunately the girl turned out to be a grown man in disguise. His name is Jim and he’s become a close friend of the band. Jim, if you’re reading this, we hope you’re well.

Does the entire album share the same raw energy of That's My Girl or are there moments when things are toned down a notch? That’s My Girl is definitely all about the raw energy and it is unquestionably one of our favourite songs to play. The album will without doubt bring more of this intensity but be prepared for the wall of sound that has recently been added to the Royston Vasie repertoire.

It must have been pretty satisfying to finish recording your debut LP, what was the best part? It’s been a few years in the making so we’re hanging to release this bunch of tunes. There’s nothing more satisfying than coming up with new material that we all feel passionate about. Fortunately that’s been a common occurrence throughout the album’s writing process. Recording the album with ol’ pals Finn and Craig at Hothouse in Melbourne was awesome fun. They’re the kings of youtube! Their selection of guitars is alright too…

Are you guys excited for the upcoming tour with Papa vs. Pretty) and the Vasco Era? Anything in particular planned you might want to let us in on? We’re totally pumped! Our shows are pretty unpredictable so anything could happen in the next couple of weeks… We’re just looking forward to being involved with two great bands as they’re doing some amazing things for Aussie music.

Just for fun, if you could take to the stage with any artists (alive or dead) who would they be? To take the stage at Waynestock, Aurora! Not just a place, but a state of mind.

That's My Girl by Royston Vasie

We'll keep you up to date on when Royston Vasie's debut drops and if you feel like checking them out with the Vasco Era and Papa vs Pretty before then (yeah you do) the dates are here. 

Loon Lake

We chat to Sam from Loon Lake ahead of the band's headline tour for their debut EP, Not Just Friends.

You know you’re onto a good thing if a band this new to the scene has already established a unique brand of sound. There’s that low-fi aesthetic of a twanged guitar, incredibly raw vocals and a somewhat limitless vintage amp.

“Most of our better songs have come really quickly and we’ve all liked them instantly, there are no real recipes.”

 Loon Lake’s sound scratched and broken all over – but in the best possible way. Luckily for us this wasn’t lost when the band translated their demos into their debut EP Not Just Friends,

“We were all adamant that we wanted to keep the sound of those demos. We also wanted to get the same kind of sound, our sound, but have it sound good in headphones. So you can decipher all the parts instead of it being a big jumbled mess.”

“It’s probably easier when I have a song almost formed and done, with five dudes and you’ve all got different ideas – sometime it can take ages and the freshness of it can be gone after a while.”

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the industry has also got behind Loon Lake, especially after they won Triple J’s Big Sound competition last year – alongside tough competition with the likes of Boy and Bear, Washington and Children Collide.

In particular Triple J presenter Zan Rowe has sent a lot of love their way,

“She just wrapped herself around it from the start, she started playing our songs flat out and then she wouldn’t just play them but give some really nice words.

It struck a chord with her. I’m sure there’ll be someone else at triple j likes someone else but I guess its just taste, she likes us and we’re really lucky that she does. 

Although things seem to be moving quickly for Loon Lake there’s definitely the sense that this is a down to earth band, one with a good head(s) on their shoulders.

“I can only speak for what we’ve done but when we won that competition and started getting airplay we had a lot of people out of the blue writing to us.

I would definitely recommend you do your research, we haven’t signed anything either if you’re a young band and you’ve got all sorts of people approaching you the best thing is to do it on a trial basis.”

Not Just Friends is a record that screams summer more than anything else. It’s sunny, warm and infectiously catchy. Besides, this is the kind of music you listen to at a summer bbq after a long day at the beach.

I wonder if Loon Lake felt the same way, as the last track Wine comes to a close there the sound of applause and someone getting very excited that “the sausages are ready.” 

That aside, next month will see the boys set off to play a string of shows for their first headline tour so be sure to check them out. Are they looking forward to any shows in particular?

“All of it – we’re all really big surfers so anywhere where we can get good waves and I’m really looking forward to playing at Byron Bay at the Great Northern. It will be cool, there’s always a crowd and they love live music.

What can I say? If the records anything to go by, It’s going to be a good time.

Drop in to JB Hi Fi for a copy of Not Just Friends, or any other reliable music store. Also feel free to check it out onItunes.