Last week, when Sydney duo Vast Hill unveiled their new video for Heartbreaker, we were immediately hooked on their shimmering synth-pop sounds.
So fresh off the clip’s release, we caught up with the band to chat about how it came together, Wes Anderson, and their debut album.
Fresh off the release of their incredible new video for Heartbreaker, we caught up with Sydney-based duo Vast Hill for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
VAST HILL: Good! Like right now? We are lying down trying to decide who is gonna cook dinner because both of us can’t be bothered! haha. Looks like another night of uber eats!
HAPPY: We’re loving Heartbreaker! How does it feel having the track out there in the world?
VAST HILL: Thank you! It’s kind of surreal, hey. It’s like a baby bird we’ve raised from an egg and has gotten to a point where we’re afraid to push it out of the nest. It either falls and gets lost in the bushes never to be seen or heard from again, OR, flies high into the sky and people cheer.
HAPPY: Could you tell us a little about the song?
VAST HILL: It really started off as this line that kept repeating over and over in my head “you’re breaking my heart baby” – after someone I care about a lot got into a terrible situation. It was like my version of “I knew this would happen” but instead, I felt a sense of Heartbreak. I was also obsessed with having a straight rhythm while singing the melody swung over the top. It just blossomed from there.
HAPPY: It’s been a while since you guys last release a single… was this a conscious decision? Or did things just happen that way?
VAST HIL: It was kind of a bit of both really. We actually had a concept, four-track EP ready to go, about 3-4 months after our last single! But we loved the concept so much that we wanted to explore the story more. We also went through this crazy period of writing so so so many songs, then we said to each other “why don’t we just turn it into an album?” Being our first attempt at an album, things probably took a lot longer than they should have, and hopefully, it won’t take as long for number two to come out haha.
HAPPY: When you first emerged in 2015, you had a pretty strong direction with your sound. How long had this project been in the cooker before then?
VAST HILL: We already had Will You Love Me In The Rain written in a completely different style. Our other project at the time was starting to fizzle out and we always loved synth-pop and 80s music, but we never knew if we could pull it off or how to actually do it. So we decided to jump on Garageband (I know) and give it a shot and behold, Vast Hill started.
HAPPY: The video for Heartbreaker is incredible too! Could you walk us through how the clip came together?
VAST HILL: Thank you! Haha you’re probably starting to notice a theme here because again, an idea popped into our head impulsively to do this dead-pan-western-60s-Wes-Anderson theme because Adin always loves to wear western-themed shirts and we both love Wes Anderson movies. We messaged Michael Chow (Froyo) about 5 minutes later and asked him if he would want to direct and film the video. He jumped on the idea instantly and came over 2 days later and it was done in one hot summer night.
HAPPY: Are there any other artists you’re currently loving?
VAST HILL: Oh wow, are you ready for some fangirling? So many great, great artists are on the rise.
- I Know Leopard have got a very secure pedestal in our personal musical hall of fame, they really don’t have any faults in anything they do.
- FROYO are one of our biggest musical influences and their new material coming out this month is absolute gold!
- Not A Boys Name is one of our pretty recent love affairs. Dave Jenkins Jr. is an awesome songwriter/musician/human and his quirky style is super inspiring.
- Georgia June omg!! And live!?! She is seriously un-matched with energy and stage presence! Plus, writes the catchiest of catchy tunes.
- Other extremely honourable local mentions are Tilda, Florian and Vacations.
- International bands we dig are Kira, Munya, and Dent May.
HAPPY: What’s next for Vast Hill? Any other exciting plans in the works?
VAST HILL: Well, getting ready for our album More Than You Imagined to be released this year, live shows this April and beyond, and figuring out which single to give you guys next! And of course the next music video, we are thinking… “Isle of Dogs-Goodfellas-70s-Boogie Nights,” what you think?
HAPPY: We think yes. Cheers for the chat!
VAST HILL: Cheers! Let’s chat more, face-to-face and grab some chicken wings at the Lansdowne, April 12th for Florian’s single launch.
Heartbreaker is available now. Watch the new clip above.
