Vaults Interview
We often find it hard to listen to music while writing. Too many lyrics with too many words that accidentally find their way into copy (oops!). But we love the new London alt-pop band Vaults - they've got that vibe that soothes the cogs of a working brain and keeps us chilled and churning out the good stuff.
We chatted to lead singer, Blythe.
What inspired the name Vaults?
Vaults as a name relates to the idea of a hidden place full of human fears and desires, stories and secrets.
Who are your top 3 musical heroes?
PJ Harvey / Bjork / Kate Bush
What was the overall theme of your EP?
The theme of the E.P. situates around a sense of impending danger always present in 'wanting' and 'having'. What you have you fear to lose etc. ‘Vultures’ is a call to arms against that threat, ‘Poison’ is the protagonist/the danger personified and ‘Mend This Love’ is the aftermath.
Which track is your favourite from the EP?
Poison - always nice to visit your dark side :)
How did Vaults come about?
Vaults came about when the right people combined. Barney and Ben were already working together and when they met me it sort of completed something and Vaults just happened. I honestly still wake up forgetting I'm a professional musician, I got really used to my 3 day jobs and night time musical career!
Best touring experience so far?
A wonderful evening at a great cafe/bar called Cafe Burq in Paris. Nothing glitzy just good food, brilliant people and a starry Parisian eve! What more can you ask for? Plus the waiter was tasty.
Best and worst thing about gigging?
Best: Making emotional contact with strangers, it’s a type of connection you can't get anywhere else and is so humbling if you are open to it.
Worst: When your demons come out and stand in front of your face so you can't connect to anyone, you’re just hanging out with Mr. and Mrs. Hateful all night - they are so boring.
What inspired the sound and feel of the album?
I don't know if it comes across strongly but a lot of our decisions had a slightly surreal feel. There’s a contrast between the vulnerable vocals and synthetic production and then classical moments of string playing that does something. An overt emotional quality but within a pop song structure we liked.
What would be your dream collaboration?
It’s hard to answer these questions because we speak as a band and we three all have different favourite artists. We all love David Byrne, The National and Caribou and Gold Panda! Any of those would be beyond amazing.
What song/s are you digging right?
Songs: There's new fantastic music coming from all angles all the time these days but Quitters Raga by Gold Panda was our pre gig band bonding moment. Gets us in the mood to dance.
How long did it take to make the EP?
There is no real way of calculating how long it took. I guess it takes our whole lives to do anything. So yeah, 5 months.
Give them a listen: https://soundcloud.com/vaults
Happy Writing!