Team Glasses Records have recently released the second EP for Brisbane band VESTIGES. We figured it was high time we caught up with the band to talk about their latest release and all things Brisbane. All photos in this interview were shot by Sabrina Loong.
At what point did Vestiges form and how did it all come together?
Matt: We all came from previous bands around Brisbane, and all knew each other from playing and going to shows. It was great timing I'd say, we were all interested in getting a band together. I can remember running into Ads Mac at a Fat Louie’s show and having a chat about it. Ads got in touch with Dan and I. We found Chris (our original drummer who has since moved to Melbourne) to play drums, and literally asked our friend Dean (our original bass player who now plays in Salt Money, Lumens, Spear of Schlonginus and xUnworthy of Lifex) to play bass as we walked past him working the desk at Via Studios. It was easy to find common ground when it came to song writing.
We've had some line-up changes over the years with Craig joining us on bass and recently Stu on drums, so we are looking forward to some new releases in the future, whilst super grateful for the time and friendship Chris and Dean added to the band.
Would readers recognize the members from any other bands?
Ads: I used to do vocals in Cold Hearts, did a bunch of projects that didn’t really get past the jam room and run Team Glasses Records. Matt played in Heroic Tales and some metalcore bands in the 2000’s. Craig has a solo project called Deceased Estates, was in Marathon, Fires of Waco and also played in some metalcore bands in the 2000’s. Dan was in Empower and his other band De Nada (formerly These Rare and Beautiful Seekers) is currently on hiatus. Stu was in Marathon and Only Sleeping. Being a drummer in Brisbane (there is always a shortage) he has been in a bunch of other local hardcore bands too.
In your own words how would you describe the sound of Vestiges?
Stu: To me it sounds like Verse with Touché Amoré and Modern Life is War bits.
Ads: Someone called us “angular-punk” once so we always kinda run with that. It’s impossible for us to pigeonhole, but I guess skramz-adjacent melodic/post-hardcore?
What bands are influencing the sound of Vestiges?
Dan: There is this constant undercurrent of Touché Amoré in most of what I'm doing. But I see a lot of what I listened to in high school and when I first started playing in bands appearing in the music I'm currently writing again - stuff like These Arms Are Snakes and Botch. I always loved what Dillinger Escape Plan were doing, not that I could ever recreate or play it. Misery Signals is a big one too. We're nowhere near as heavy as that band but I always liked their subdivision of the meter and how ideas tend to last for 10 or 12 bars before returning to repeat - or the drums are accenting 2 and 4 when the guitar is playing 6/4 or something completely different. Obviously not the only band to do this but they are the one I always think of.
Ads: When I recruited everyone for this band the original idea was to make something that sounds along the lines of early My Disco!, The Nation Blue, Neil Perry, Fugazi, Miles Away, Off Minor, Frameworks, Isis, Modern Life is War and Caravels.
What would be a dream line up of bands to play with?
Dan: 90’s era Koᴙn playing the first 3 records in their entirety. We wouldn't even need to play. (*Dan recently changed this answer to Limp Bizkit after seeing the recent Lollapalooza set.)
Ads: We’ve already played with a bunch of bands that we greatly admire; Modern Life is War, Outright, Hexis, Requin, Carb On Carb, Totally Unicorn, Judas Wolf, Arrows, Homesick, Primitive Blast, Rage, Break Through, World Sick, Cnt Evn, To the North, Turnpike, No Brainer, The World at a Glance and heaps more. Our tape launch next month that we booked is with all of our best friends and we couldn’t be happier. It’s with Deafcult, Apparitions, Salt Money and Hanoi Traffic. In terms of newer internationals, personally I’m stoked with One Step Closer, Mindforce, Militarie Gun, Hawak, Frail Body and Gulch. We have included a list of bands that we support in Australia in the liner notes of our new EP.
You’ve just released a new two song EP with some very intricately detailed artwork, who came up with the design?
Ads: The artwork is all directly referencing the lyrics to “Dull”. The tape packaging is meant to look like a box of prescription antidepressants. The inside cover is meant to look like the consumer medical information sheet that you get inside boxes of medication. Dan made a few actual boxes based on what I had so he could take photos of it for the digital cover. So much art and craft was involved. I spent around 2 months creating the artwork.
Talk us through the recording process for the new EP? Where, when and how did it all come together?
Dan: We've been keeping to a pretty consistent 'in-house' DIY production process since the beginning. I've recorded and mixed everything we've put out. These songs were actually almost completely recorded around the end of 2019 with only vocals remaining, but I had a hard drive fail on me - first time ever - and we lost everything... I was working on another band at the same time but luckily had a backup of their sessions.
So by the time we re-did everything we were amidst the first Covid lockdown and we were trying to plan things around all the closures. We ended up recording drums at We Set Sail's rehearsal space which is this old brick warehouse with a really high ceiling. It sounded very cool. Guitars and bass were all recorded at my place. All the guitars are Neural DSP amp sims with an overdrive pedal in front of them, we used a Crowther Hotcake. Bass was a blend of pres and drives. And vocals were recorded at Via Studios in Bowen Hills.
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Lyrically what are the two tracks about?
Ads: “Hiding” is about a few times in my life when I was addicted to alcohol whether to suppress a painful time or overdoing in with partying. “Dull” was written for an ex-partner. She had been suffering with treatment-resistant depression for most of her life so it’s sang from her perspective. Both songs are a massive bummer to me lyrically but I achieve massive amounts of catharsis when we practice or perform these songs live.
What else is in store in the foreseeable future for Vestiges?
Craig: Ageing and trying to get a full length written and recorded
Dan: Playing shows as they become available, but obviously we're still very much at the whim of lockdowns and changing restrictions unfortunately. We have a launch show for the new EP happening in mid-September. Aside from that we're putting a lot of focus where we have control and are always trying to be writing. We've had plans to do an LP for a minute now, so that's the goal.
How can people get in touch or keep up with what’s happening in Vestiges?
You can find us at the following places.
Bookings: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevestigesband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ya2HkdGVIOTUoDKpjbb6f
Bandcamp: https://vestigesbne.bandcamp.com/
You can stream/buy our new EP “Hiding/Dull” at Team Glasses Records:
https://teamglasses.bandcamp.com/album/hiding-dull
The “Hiding/Dull” Tape Launch is on Saturday 11 September at Unite Common House in Brisbane (all ages) with Deafcult, Apparitions, Salt Money & Hanoi Traffic.
Tickets will sell out so if you’d like to come, you can pick one up here:
https://www.trybooking.com/BTLPK
VESTIGES is
Dan: guitar
Matt: guitar
Craig: bass
Stu: drums
Ads: vocals