Vida Cain are days away from launching their newest LP Yeah Nah. Playing Perth’s notorious Badlands Bar, it’s sure to be a killer night with some heavy duty supports.
Just before they send the record across the airwaves, we caught up with Josh, Mike, Trav and JR to grab a little insight into what we can expect on Friday.
Yeah Nah is about to hit the shelves, and Vida Cain can’t wait to launch it. Before kicking off their huge gig we talk the Perth scene, how the record was made and of course, the big night.
HAPPY: Hey there, how are you guys doing? Pumped for the album launch?
VIDA CAIN: Definitely. Album launches don’t come around too often so when you get to be a part of one you really want to make sure it’s a special show. We’re also all looking forward to playing at Badlands. Great venue.
HAPPY: Are you just going to be premiering the new cuts, or will you be playing a mix of old and new?
VIDA CAIN: We wouldn’t want to spoil anything now would we :)
HAPPY: You’ve got some sick supports lined up, are they some handpicked Vida Cain faves?
VIDA CAIN: Liam Naughton and the Educators features my sister on drums. I come from a pretty musical family and it’s always good playing with family members. Moon Puppy are an awesome band who always draw a crowd. Lastly we have The Caballeros who have to be one of the most entertaining bands in Perth. Their songs are amazing and their frontman is just insane. Definitely a personal favourite of mine.
HAPPY: Coming into Yeah Nah, what did you feel was the biggest change you wanted to accomplish?
VIDA CAIN: We didn’t give ourselves a deadline in regards to the recording process this time around. We did a lot of it outside of the studio which meant that we didn’t need to rush anything. That’s not to say that we slacked off in any way. It just meant that instead of being “pretty happy” with something, we did things until they were right.
HAPPY: Your sound definitely echoes some of the best Aussie rock acts out there, who were some of your influences coming into the new record?
VIDA CAIN: I was listening to a lot of Ball Park Music at the time. I’m not really sure if any of that really came through or not. We’re not specifically trying to sound like anyone other than ourselves really. I guess we just created a product of our environment?
HAPPY: What was it like working with Joel Quartermain on Yeah Nah? What were some of his major inputs?
VIDA CAIN: Joel is a great producer. I tend to not really be the biggest fan of the recording process but I had a blast recording with him. We did a small amount of pre-production, where we came in and played the songs and got his input, then went away a reworked a few things, but for the better part of it all, he just let us do our thing.
It’s also really beneficial to work with a multi-instrumentalist. He’d make little suggestions here and there about that we might be playing individually which I think resulted in a tighter sounding album.
HAPPY: Fear What You Don’t Say is such a sick track, is this the kind of sound to expect throughout the new LP or are there some surprises thrown in there too?
VIDA CAIN: I think we have a good mix of funkier songs like Fear What You Don’t Say, as well as a few heavier numbers and even a couple of softer numbers in there too.
HAPPY: What’s it been like being in and around the Perth scene? It’s produced some of Australia’s best artists of the last decade.
VIDA CAIN: There’s so many bands in Perth but sadly a lot of our venues are having to close down or choosing not to do original music. There’s a lot of competition for gigs and not a lot of venues so you have to be on top of your game. That might be why a lot of good stuff comes out of Perth. You have to be a professional just to get an opening slot.
HAPPY: Do you think the musical explosion in Perth has hit it’s limit, or is the WA city still just getting started?
VIDA CAIN: Good bands will always come out of Perth, as well as other states. Tired Lion are doing a lot of cool things lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if they become the “next big thing” nationally.
HAPPY: Any words to your fans before they get to hear Yeah Nah?
VIDA CAIN: Yeah Nah not really ay. Sorry, had to go for the obvious one there.
HAPPY: Haha very good.
Head over to the Facebook event for all the details on the album launch. $5 beers if you cheese it over there for happy hour – just saying.
