Loop: Nothing Really Changes

RVG

Album: Brain Worms
Release Date: 2023
Australia

Any RVG song would fit in seamlessly on ’80s college radio — and that’s high praise. Led by singer-songwriter Romy Vager, the Melbourne post punkers — formally known as the Romy Vager Group — have been crafting heartfelt rock since 2017. Landing somewhere between the folk-punk of The Mekons and the gothy hooks of Hollywood alt-rock icons Concrete Blonde, their throwback sound still manages to feel incredibly prescient. Their third album Brain Worms, out today via Fire Records, is a product of  Vager pushing herself out of her comfort zone, both mentally and physically.  [More on Them]

Good morning! It was quite crazy that we were trying to arrange the whole meeting while you’re in Australia, I was in the UK and Emre was in the US 🙂

Yeah, it gets, it gets weird when it’s like a different time zone, doesn’t it?

I just want to, first of all, say that I discovered you guys in The Great Escape in Brighton, back in May. And it was amazing. It was so good. I had to Google you all around and found all of your stuff, and I started to share the band with my friends as well and I have to say 100% success. Everyone actually was so impressed and loved your music. And I, I just realized that you, you’re going to start touring in September and I, saw Brighton date there again. So I’m very excited.

Yeah. Which show did you see at the Great Escape out of interest?

You were at the beach. It was very good timing as well because the weather was awful as always in Brighton, but that particular day was amazing

It was nice. All the Australian bands were playing so it was very nice.

I’m gonna quickly go through my questions if that’s all right with you. After I listened to you live, I went through all of your albums. Your debut album is just amazing. And then the second one is just as good, if not better. Normally third albums are always the risky ones because they can go downhill very easily. But in your case, it’s the exact opposite. So, what do you feel about this one? What do you think is so different with this album? And why do you think this is such a statement album?

I guess we’re just a better band really. We’re just experienced more than anything. And I just think with the first two records, we were in a state where we were never doing exactly what we wanted to do. We were quite always kind of like, just, you know, budget concerns and like timing concerns. We always ended up with something we liked, but it was always like a budget and there was always like, whatever situation was going on.

I think this time we just had the freedom to do what we wanted to do. And I really thought about this album a lot more like, I had all of lockdown to think about it. And we rehearsed a lot more. We prepared ourselves way more than we ever did. We always had this very, like Melbourne attitude to making records where we’re just like, oh, you know, a couple of rehearsals, and then we’ll record a song because that’s when you get the best.

But this time we actually, you know, worked really hard at it and I think that’s what did it but, it depends on who you ask. You know, some people like the second album a lot, some people like the first album a lot. It’s interesting. It’s interesting seeing people’s reactions, but I think this is our best one for sure.

Yeah. And I think you invested a lot in it in terms of the artwork as well. It has its own style in terms of the album, the merchandise and, you can see it has its style and you really worked hard on it. I wonder if you actually worry about not getting the attention that it actually deserves?

Yes 🙂

Yeah. Yeah, I do. Especially with this one. I think I’m very connected to this one. This album definitely has done better for us than the other albums have. But I know that with this band there is like a context and a subtlety that sometimes goes over a lot of people’s heads because we get put as a post-punk band and a whatever band a lot.

And I think when people hear the word post-punk, they expect a very particular thing. Like they expect something like what a lot of the British bands are doing and they hear us and they kind of go what is this shit? But that’s the thing. This band has always been a bit of a slow burn. It’s always been kind of like a, for me, at least my understanding of it has always been like a second listen kind of thing for a lot of people.

And so, yeah, it’s hard to get that across. But I think with this album, it’s been better than others because we thought about that when we were making it, we wanted it to be very instantaneous and loud and kind of to the point like straight to the gut kind of thing.

This band has always been a bit of a slow burn. It’s always been kind of like a, for me, at least my understanding of it has always been like a second listen kind of thing for a lot of people. And so, yeah, it’s hard to get that across. But I think with this album, it’s been better than others because we thought about that when we were making it, we wanted it to be very instantaneous and loud and kind of to the point like straight to the gut kind of thing.

Romy on their third studio album, Brain Worms

So, like I said, I know that you’re going to start touring again. So, apart from that, do you have anything else going on at the moment? What’s next for you now?

I don’t know. I literally just the other day set up my music equipment in my room. I moved my house and I didn’t unpack for like months and I guess now I’m just sitting down trying to figure that out, I think. Yeah, there’s a lot.

There’s something I would like to do, something different with it. Like I feel like, you know, when you listen to the three albums, there’s obviously like a continual of some sort and I’d like to break that continual somehow. Like me and Reuben were talking about maybe it could be a country record or something or, you know, something just very different. I mean, that’s what you do with the fourth album I think. Like you kind of take that even bigger risk of like, how many sitars can I put on the record! So, something like that.

But I’ve only sat down in the last couple of days and actually started to play around with things and actually think about what I wanna say because it’s always like, you know, the reason our albums are, like, spread out for every three years is just because I don’t write anything unless I feel like I need to write. I can’t just sit down and write a song. And I’m thinking of getting to that point now where maybe there’s, you know, enough time has passed where I feel like working, I feel like I’ve changed enough my brain to kind of like have something else to say.

Guess it’s part of creating art in a way as well.

Yeah, it’s confusing. I don’t understand that. I don’t really get it.

Well, actually, this is what I was gonna ask next because I was reading an article in The Guardian about you and I don’t know if you agree. They say that RVG is one of Australia’s finest bands and Vager one of our most underrated and understated songwriters. And, if I listen to your lyrics, I find them very strong and it feels like they are mostly very personal. Do you agree?

Oh, they’re very personal!

Yeah. Especially with this record, I think, they’re all personal. Yeah, I don’t know, I like to be very direct and, you know, a lot of lyrics now it’s like, unless it’s like hip hop or something, people don’t like things to be very direct. But that’s what I really like and that’s the kind of music that I really like when people are very much like, super direct to the point of like, like ridiculousness and, that’s my favorite kind of lyric writing. I think every time I try to write something a bit more dreamy and with a lot more subtlety, I don’t like it because I don’t like that kind of music. I mean, I do like that kind of music but I don’t like writing those kind of lyrics.

Yeah. So it’s not basically, maybe personally enough.

Yeah. It’s hard, it’s hard to find the personal in the abstract for me. That’s the way I would put it. And like in the last record in Feral, there was a lot more characters and there was a lot more trying to say stuff that I didn’t feel like I wanted to say. Stuff like Christian Neurosurgeon on the last record was very much like me trying to deal with some intense stuff and the way that it came out was in this very silly song. And, I mean, that’s as non-direct as I get.

I think you also feel it very strongly when you watch it live as well. Also when you listen all these songs live, they get even bigger and better and, maybe with your existence on stage as well! So, what’s your favorite song to play live? If you can pick one.

I think at the moment it’s Squid just because it’s got this groove to it, I think, it breaks up, it breaks up a lot of the more intense kind of jangly songs and it gets into this groove and I like that. That’s something I think we do more of in the future because, yeah, you know, it’s always kind of weird this band because it’s like, always trying to have this intensity, but there’s always in the back of my mind, there’s kind of like, you know, you kind of want something that people could also dance to and I think Squid’s probably as close as we get. And that’s been really fun to play and I think everyone really enjoys that one at the moment for sure.

And what’s a song that you play on repeat recently, or maybe in general? Like a song that you kind of recently obsessed with?

What have I been listening to? God! Oh, I don’t know. I don’t, I haven’t really, I’ve kind of gone into a bit of a blank spot because I’ve been just like, trying to, when I start thinking about writing again, I start listening to music. So I started listening to podcasts and stuff like that. So, yeah, I don’t know. I can’t answer that. I’m sorry.

Well, in that case…

Oh! I do have one! Actually, I have one. I’ve been listening to a lot and, it’s only after seeing Little Simz play at Splendour, but there’s this song that just keeps going through my head that I love you I hate you song. It’s like I forgot what it’s called, but it’s like, I Love You I Hate You. And it’s like I saw her play that live and I have been listening to that a lot actually, recently, I think that’s just a beautiful, beautiful song. That’s my answer.

All right, I will definitely check that out! So our website Infected Ear is actually based on obsessions and I can easily say that we are obsessed with Nothing Really Changes. So, what’s the inspiration or the story behind it? And how did it come about?

It’s a sort of a song about, you know, particular people which a lot of my songs are and like, just dealing with people for a very long time and trying to kind of like, you know, try to sympathize and kind of doing damage to yourself at the same time while, they kind of destroy themselves really. This whole album is about obsession really. And it’s, it’s definitely one of the pressure points of my life in the last few years I would say. And yeah, I guess Nothing Really Changes was mostly trying to release myself from it. And it’s good. I feel better after writing it because it’s like, you know, it’s cathartic, but yeah, I guess, caring about a person but also needing to keep your distance I think would be it.

Thank you so much and again, I’m so excited to see you again live.

Yeah. No, no, please please say hello when we come to Brighton. Thank you for doing this as well. Like I’m just better face to face than I am if I get a bunch of questions and I just like I literally just stare at them for like days and I appreciate you staying up till two o’clock to talk to me.

It’s an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much, Romy.

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