After a 13-year hiatus, Australian rock force The Vasco Era has returned, not with a whimper, but with a defiant roar.
Their long-awaited fourth album, I Don’t Mind, is a testament to their enduring, unapologetic spirit.
Described as an “exercise in extremes,” the record is split into two distinct sides: the blistering “Yelling” and the melancholic “Crying,” showcasing the band’s full dynamic range.
For frontman Sid O’Neil, drummer Ted O’Neil, and bassist Michael Fitzgerald, the break was essential.
It allowed them to start families, reset, and rediscover the pure joy of making music without pressure.
Now, with a renewed sense of purpose and their legendary live energy intact, The Vasco Era is back on their own terms, ready to remind everyone why they remain one of Australia’s most compelling and unforgettable bands.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
THE VASO ERA: Some gardening, chasing kids around and a bit of cooking.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
THE VASO ERA: We all grew up in Apollo Bay, and I live in Torquay now.
I’ve been back and forward from Melbourne a bunch of times throughout the years, but the draw of the coast has always brought me back. I like the slower speed, and the lack of constant light and noise.
HAPPY: The new album is described as an “exercise in extremes,” split into “Yelling” and “Crying” sides. What was the creative impulse behind this distinct two-part structure?
THE VASO ERA: We tried to intersperse the softer songs throughout the album, but it really affected the flow and the impact of each song. Having two distinct sides shows the dichotomy of our approach to music.
We love the brash, loud, all encompassing loudness shown on the Yelling side, but also the vulnerability, beauty and gentleness of music that you hear on Crying.
It is sort of like having a Neil Young solo album and a Neil Young and Crazy Horse album all mixed into one.
HAPPY: After a 13-year hiatus, what made now the right time to return, and how did the approach to making I Don’t Mind differ from your previous albums?
THE VASO ERA: We all went and had kids, and now that some of them are getting older, they all love AC/DC. So we thought it would be great to be able to share what we love doing with our children.
Being in this phase of life, and recording without expectation, gave us the freedom to do what we want with the songs, really lean into the beauty or wildness of the song and take the album wherever it needed to go.
HAPPY: The final single is “I Don’t Need A Warning.” What is the song’s central message, and why did it feel like the right statement to cap off the album’s release?
THE VASO ERA: Sid’s oldest son was listening to Back In Black (it always comes back to AC/DC). He said that it would be really hard to write a Riff like that and Sid jokingly said, nah its easy and wrote the initial riffs of the song.
It’s the right statement because it is rocking as! I think it embodies the current state of the world, the fears, joys and uncertainties of life, and the constant search.
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HAPPY: You’re known for radically reinventing your sound with each release. Was this conscious rebellion, or simply a natural evolution of your tastes?
THE VASO ERA: Each of our albums have been conscious choices when it comes to the approach to tonality, but it was never designed to get away from the previous sound.
Each album is reflective of what we were experiencing at that moment in time, what we were listening to, and what we felt drove us at that stage. You can see, especially with the first three albums, our change in experiences as the albums progress.
And I think with I Don’t Mind, we are all in a place where we can really enjoy the process of song making again.
HAPPY: If you could give your younger selves one piece of advice from the perspective you have now, what would it be?
THE VASO ERA: Relax. Don’t overthink it all!
HAPPY: The hiatus is framed as having made music “fun” again. What do you think it was about the hiatus specifically that rekindled the joy for you?
THE VASO ERA: We were all burnt out to various degrees by the end of the third album cycle. When we finished up, we didn’t intend to write another album.
We all kept playing and making music in various forms, but Vasco as an entity was no longer joyous. We never fell out with each other, still hung out a lot, just didn’t want to do that particular music thing.
When we started thinking about finally doing some new music again, that joy was back.
HAPPY: With this new chapter and album out, what are you most looking forward to about getting back on stage for your own headline shows?
THE VASO ERA: I love being on stage, it is cathartic and joyous and wild. Getting to see people respond to the new music will be a lot of fun too.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
THE VASO ERA: Family. Reading. A good movie. Banh Mi.
