credit: @reclaimvienna instagram
Reclaim Vienna have been making waves on the UK Physical Charts this year with their nighttime indie, 80's synth sound! The band from Cheshire signed to 42s Records and they have gone strength to strength ever since. Their aesthetic sonically, with their blend of synths and guitars is highly infectious, however their ear for a catchy melody is an aspect that helps them stand out so much. It was great being able to chat to the band about their journey so far and how certain songs came to be!
You are all from Winsford, Cheshire right? How did the band all come about and what music/genres did you all connect with?
That’s right. The core of the band met through being in different bands over the years in Winsford and started writing and jamming together before bringing in the frontman, Steeno, who they had seen on Instagram singing, to complete the band. We’re all huge oasis fans but also have a love for 80s synth music, which is clearly evident in our sound.
The sound of Reclaim Vienna feels so nighttime, its so fun and mysterious! How did your sound come about and how would you best describe the bands music?
Our aim musically was to write modern indie/dance music. Songs for indie nightclubs. Something different though. I think our sound is unique, we could hit numerous genres in our songs and they all sound different. If I was to categorise it I’d call it new-wave synth.
Your first single came out in 2019, ‘Kick the Butterfly’. Was that one of the first songs that was written for the band? Was it the obvious choice to be the debut single?
Yes it was one of the first written but it changed dramatically from what it was to how it is now. Paris was actually our first release as a band and the more obvious choice but we signed with 42s on the back of Paris and reworked it and re-released as a follow up to “Kick The Butterfly” which was 42s choice as debut single. It’s a great track and I think set us up nicely , it showed a new band coming in with a fresh new sound, not afraid to push the boundaries right from the start.
You are both close to big cultural cities in Liverpool and Manchester, how have you found having those places for opportunities for gigs and progressing as a band?
Really good. Manchester we’ve sold out our last 3 headline gigs, the latest being Night & Day back in February which was an unreal night. The atmosphere was electric. Liverpool we’ve done some really good gigs at phase one and Zanzibar. It’s good to have both close enough to play some great venues.
What’s been some highlights for you guys in the last year? Signing to 42s records must of been such a big thing!
Obviously signing with 42s was amazing. especially after only releasing one song. We have been lucky to get our songs on physical release so early and get in the charts! Selling gigs out is also a huge highlight for us, as I mentioned seeing people singing “Change The Echo” back to us before it had even been released at Night & Day was something else!
How is the writing process within the band? Is it a democratic approach or does someone come in with a solid idea and take it from there?
It’s very messy! We don’t have a writing process haha. Sometimes Danny will write a song on his acoustic and we take it from there sometimes Harry will play a synth loop and we build on that and other times the drummer comes in and sings a load of lyrics and we have “Change The Echo” haha! It’s all over the place but the end product is always good. All the lads are very talented. It’s hard work at time’s but it’s worth it.
The blend of catchy, breezy synths and heavy guitars is done so well! ‘Cool With It’ stood out for me as a great step up in what makes you guys so good, how did that song come about?
Danny wrote “Cool With It” on an acoustic guitar initially. We all loved the melody & lyrics. “Let’s dance like we’re in a trance , back in 99 with a flake” it’s very RV. Harry then found the running synth to accompany and we added the rest from there. It’s a great modern pop song and very unique in its sound.
‘Modern Times’ feels so unashamed to be fun! The 80’s vibes are so awesome, is that an era of music you take from influence from?
Yeah 80s music is a huge influence on our music. Synthpop is probably a good representation of our sound on songs like “Modern Times” It’s as poppy as you’ll ever hear us and we like to mix it up a bit and keep people interested
And if my memory is correct, wasn’t this song finished during the early stages of lockdown? How has it been as a band during this time, hope you are all safe and well!
That’s right. We really enjoyed putting it together as it was done remotely in lockdown , we have even jammed it together yet! It’s hard not gigging, the gigs are what we thrive off and we know we’re a great live band. We have just kept ourselves busy writing and rehearsing for the time being. We have some brilliant gigs lined up for when we can get back at it, hopefully not to far away!
I have loved your social media pages, you are so good at getting us pumped for new music! Are you guys very conscious with having a good presence on social media platforms?
I think it’s really important to have one in the modern age. It’s certainly the best way to put your music in front thousands of people. We have a great following for a new band and it’s growing daily. Not only that we have some amazing fans who really love us as a band already, which is amazing considering we haven’t released an album yet.
Your new latest single, ‘Infamous’, really takes the nighttime sound to another level! It sounds so impressive and epic. How was this song written?
Again it was written by Danny on his acoustic guitar then Harry created the backing track on the synth. Our producer Ben then added more parts to get that real dark stomping sound. I actually think Infamous is our best work yet and we have another 4 or 5 songs of the same mould to release like it. That kind of dark, euphoric dance sound.
What are the next plans for the band? It being such a difficult time for everyone, are you guys confident you will be able to fulfil those plans when possible again?
100%. Lockdown hasn’t slowed us down. We’ve released 2 new songs and our following is growing. We will be back selling gigs out again in the North-West etc when it’s all safe to do so. We’ve now been given the gift of time to fine tune our next releases and there’s ALOT more to come. RV has only scratched the surface so far! Thankyou for your support so far & hopefully see you at a gig sometime soon.
Comentários