ME: Angel Youth was the first song I heard from you guys. Since that’s the name of the album too, would you say that’s a good song to start with when someone finds out about you and your music?
Josh: I think that's a great starting point! Really we're happy to hear about anyone getting into our catalog from any entry point at all, but the song Angel Youth seems particularly appropriate as it most clearly carries through the thesis of that album, I think. Most people seem to discover us only via our most popular couple of songs, so it's always refreshing to hear about folks becoming fans after hearing a more obscure track.
I think there’s a really unique sound and voice and one that is very recognisable. As musicians, is that something you realise or does it kind of pass you by?
I think that's mostly a manifestation of our musical sensibilities and compositional tendencies, just making the kind of stuff we like to hear, which is a natural byproduct of anyone who makes music, so for the most part I think it sort of passes us by. Heard in the context of a larger project though, like straight through on an album, I can hear what you're talking about. We aim to dodge the self-awareness of what we sound like or what characterizes a Vansire recording, so part of that reluctance to acknowledge the identifiable is probably deliberate on our part too.
Your sound overall is rather modern. Do you feel, however, that there is an older influence to your music and the genre you’re within?
I'd like to think we carry a pretty eclectic range of influences that span previous decades, but a lot of that is also the result of our propensity towards analog technology (older synthesizers, tape decks, etc.) It's pretty striking to me how you have all of this music currently that's entrenched in this nostalgia for 20th century materials and technologies, but it's situated in this 21st century musical framework that consists entirely of a digital reality, where you can sample anything, upload to people across the globe, etc. so you have songs that will like, for example, sample vinyl crackle and hiss, which is then played from a digital bank on Spotify. That's one of the underlying contradictions of bedroom pop at large, I think.
Like several others I’ve interviewed, you’re not often on social media. Is the music always keeping you busy?
Nah, it's mostly school that's keeping us busy, even if we had infinite time to work on music we probably wouldn't be that much more active on social media. It's just kind of something you have to do because people wanna know what you're up to. We mostly use instagram to meme around and be weird; I would be completely content if our IG just became known as a meme page. Memes always do the best on there anyways - there are so many weird algorithms now that constitute how many of your followers will actually see anything you post, so in general we're just goofin around.
If you could describe your music in three words what would they be?
Things we dig
When you were growing up, was music all of yours’ dream? To make it, to write it, to perform it, etc.
Simply having an audience of people who appreciate your music for what it is was always the dream for me, and it's endlessly humbling to know there are people out there who feel that way about the stuff we drop.
What venue in your opinion is the coolest you’ve played at and what is one you wish to play at some point in the future?
I'm a big sucker for Baby's All Right in Williamsburg Brooklyn, I'd been to a few shows over the years there and it was such a dream to get to play there this summer to a sold out crowd. Other standouts include a cool spot in Salt Lake City called Kilby Court, the Lowbrow Palace in El Paso, and 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis (gotta rep the home state).
Is there anyone within any genre of music that you all would love to colab with?
I think MF DOOM remains my dream collab.
This year you released Metamodernity. Is there anything special you’ve been cooking up for 2020?
We are in the very earliest stages of chipping away at a new album - that's the long term plan, it's still super far out there. In the nearer future, we've got a new single with Floor Cry coming out, we haven't linked with her since doing Nice to See You so we're super stoked for that one.
Finally, what’s the craziest thing you’ve experienced together as a band?
There have been a lot of surreal moments; one nostalgic favorite was about two years ago exactly, we went to Los Angeles for the first time to film a video for the song Halcyon Age with our friend Madelynn de la Rosa, a super talented filmmaker/YouTuber. That was our introduction to southern California, and getting to fly there to do something specifically for Vansire purposes was pretty damn surreal.
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