Austrian purveyors of ‘Vulvarock’ – Vulvarine have just released their superb new album ‘Fast Lane’ through Napalm Records. The record is stuffed full of punk energy and metal precision along with some catchy melodies. I caught up with the band’s drummer Bea Heartbeat on a day off from their tour with Thundermother. The band were relaxing in the sunshine in a park in Bochum, Germany. I mentioned that I caught their gig at the Garage in London where they played songs from the record which had not been released at that time.
Well, to us they weren’t quite new, obviously. We recorded them in late summer, early autumn last year. And we had our timeline ready one year ago already. We knew that we were going to do this tour. And we wanted to bring along new material. So actually, this was the kick-off for writing the album and recording the album. So yeah, it didn’t happen by accident. But it was planned this way. And we were really looking forward to bringing those songs to the stage.
Was that a good pressure to have, knowing that the tour was coming up and you needed to get something out?
It was the good kind of pressure. You know the saying that diamonds need a lot of pressure.
And for us it was really good to focus and to have this deadline. Because things always take as long as you give them. And of course you can work five, ten years on an album. But sometimes it’s also good to just go with the flow and seize the moment. Grab the magic.
So, who writes in the band? Do you all have a part in it? Yes, we all bring in ideas. And I think this is also the reason why there’s a lot of variety on this album. We combine a lot of different styles because we all have different musical backgrounds and listen to different styles of music. And this makes a nice mix. At least I think so.
So, who provides the melodies?
It really depends on who is bringing in the idea for the song. Robin (Redbreast – Bass) writes a lot. When Robin writes a song, it’s almost finished and worked out, also melody-wise. And with Sandy (Dee – Guitar), it’s similar. With me, I record – I just hum into my phone. And this is the basis for building up the song. Sometimes I come up with an idea for lyrics. And we build on that. And, of course, Susie adds her unique voice and ideas for second and third voices that make up these harmonies, especially in the choruses. kay.
What musical backgrounds are we talking? Well, you have Sandy with a more punk rock background. Robin and Susie with the 70s, 80s metal, also heavy metal backgrounds. And I like the heavier stuff. I listen to The Haunted and Lamb of God and, of course, it influences my style of drumming. This music could also work without double bass parts, I guess. But this is really my style that I bring to it.
How long have you been playing the drums? It has been 25 years round about. I took some breaks in between, but I directly started with a band. And I have been building to that moment to really identify as a musician and to really make this my main focus in life. It took me a while.
So, you’ve all been in bands before?
Yeah, yeah. I’ve had some projects. I started in a melodic death band, actually, back in the days. Did that for seven, eight years. And the next project was more like a stoner rock sludge.
Then for a couple of years where I focused on education and work. And then the girls found me, and I was hooked.
How did they find you?
Well, the classic Facebook. Austria is a small scene, or pretty small. And they were searching for a female drummer. And, well, there are not that many, or there have not been that many at that point in time. So, this is how we met. And we are all from Vienna. And I went to the rehearsal room. They invited me there for a jam. And I instantly felt a deep connection. On a personal level and on a musical one. And here I am.
So did you know any of the girls before?
No, surprisingly not. And this is really interesting. Because you know each other in that scene. But we haven’t met, or at least haven’t introduced ourselves, haven’t talked before. I’m glad that they found me.
How is the rock scene in Austria? I mean, you’ve mentioned it’s quite small in Vienna. But are there places to play?
There are a lot of venues, especially in Vienna. If you’re outside of Vienna, it’s a bit harder to find good places. But, of course, in the main cities like Vienna and Graz and Salzburg you have your venues. With also international bands performing there, of course. But I have to say, compared to the system in, for example, Sweden or Norway or what I heard from it, it’s harder to make a living being a musician in Austria. There’s less support also from the state. So, it’s a big leap to make the decision to quit the job, for example, that pays the rent and really go all in with the music.
Are you all professional musicians now, or do you all have jobs?
Some do have jobs, and some don’t anymore. We’re sort of in this really most difficult phase, I guess, that a band can go through when building a career. It’s difficult nowadays.
Tell me about the album.
It really sort of takes you on a journey, at least that’s what I think. Also, the story that we built around Vulverine, our character, our heroine, it’s like we’re sending her on a crazy rollercoaster trip. Through different emotions and different little pieces, stories that you can experience, right? So also, the topics that are really different from each other.
Are they true stories?
Yeah, some of them, definitely. I mean, for example, there’s ‘Polly the Trucker’. None of us have been working as a truck driver so far. But of course, we put a lot of experience in there as being women in a still male-dominated world. And I think that is the main topic there. And in general, a common denominator would be that you should be true to yourself and stay true to yourself. Sounds cheesy, but I guess if I would have to point it out, that would be the point
Tell me about ‘Equal, Not The Same’.
I wrote the lyrics for that one. And this is also about my experience in the corporations I worked for, I made good friends and good experiences there. But I also, of course, had this… How’s it called? We call it glass ceiling. You get the feeling that, there’s the system and the structures, be it in society or be it in a company, are formed by men. I wanted to shout this out. The band are currently without a lead guitarist. Currently filling the void on the tour is Coralie Baier from Atlantean Kodex. Who played the leads on the record?
We worked with different producers, and most of the lead guitars were played by a dear friend of us, Engel Mayr. He has been working with bands like Russkaya in Austria. This was really the cherry on the cake. But we have also our last guitarist who was with us a year or so, last lead guitarist, Pasha. She’s a brilliant young musician from Slovenia. She wrote some of the parts that we then used on the album. And, of course, Sandy, our rhythm guitarist, also took a part in that, of course. Not only have the band created ‘Vulvarock’ but they also advocate ‘Flinta’. I asked Bea what’s Flinta, and why do we need more of it?
Well, there has been a lot of talk about vocalism, especially now in USA and so on, but I also feel it in Europe, that we are not over this phase, where we need to actively make space for people who don’t fit into the black-white scheme, and the drawers that we used to think in, and some still do. And, for me, this is actually an expression to make this space, actively.
Are you involved in activism in Austria, or elsewhere?
We are, in the sense that we, for example, contribute with merchandise, or even play shows for different organisations, where the revenue goes to non-profits. So, we do what we can with our music.
So, where do the influences come from? I can pick things out. One of them was Hole, ‘Fool’ sounds to me a little bit like Hole.
Well, for that one, we worked with Felix Held, a German producer. He just threw us the idea for the song. I wrote the lyrics. It’s funny you picked out the songs where I wrote the lyrics, but it’s good, because I can tell you some stories about them. You can hear that it’s a different vibe. It has a different character. We also wanted to really create, and this was also the briefing for him, we wanted to create together something that’s also playable in radio, in rock radio. Also, the length of the song is accordingly not too long, not too heavy, but still with lots of attitude. So, we really also made it ours in the process.
The lyrics are basically about somebody who gets caught in the system and in this crazy work ethics that we have in companies and in our economy. Yeah, it’s an invitation to rethink this and maybe break free at some point. But that’s very difficult to do when you have that security.
Was it just one producer on it or multiple?
No, we have a couple of producers on the album. We recorded in three different studios, actually. Up until this album, we really brewed our own soup. Does this expression exist in English? So, we really kept to ourselves, so to say, in the process of writing and recording our music. And we felt that, at this point, we wanted more feedback, and we wanted also to include other people at an earlier stage, actually, and at different stages in songwriting and in producing and pre-production and recording. And we found people that are specialized in different aspects. For example, we found one friend of us turned out to be the perfect guy to record only the vocals, the voices, because he’s great with harmonies, has a great ear for that. And another friend that we went to for the guitars, mainly. And the rhythm section was the initial part where we took a couple of days and really went to a remote place to be there, live there and record from dusk till dawn.
Does that help you more, rather than coming in sort of piecemeal?
Yeah, it did, actually. I think it’s helped the songs. It’s helped us to grow as musicians. I think we have a clearer view on what we want and what we don’t like. So, it was necessary to open this up and then close it again, you know, and make it ours.
Is this the way forward when Vulverine are recording, or are you going to try something new?
I think for the next recordings; we’re going to have already a clearer picture on what helps us and what doesn’t. So, we will leave out some steps that we took now, because we already know how we want to work. But to include different opinions and get feedback early on, I think this is really valuable and I would like to keep that.
You’re still on tour? How long left on the tour?
Only three more shows, unfortunately. I can’t believe that it’s going to be over soon.
Do you have any more dates lined up during the year? Festivals or anything?
We do. We are not allowed to announce all of them yet. Okay. So, it’s best to follow us on social media and check out our website for updates.
In autumn, we’re starting a headliner tour, where we have more time to really present ourselves, our music and the new album. As soon as we’re back from the tour, we’re going to start working again. We have a couple of ideas and songs in the pipeline.
What do you want this album to do for you? What’s the game plan?
Well, I think it’s really a statement that we are here and that we are loud and that we’re not going to go away anytime soon. We get a lot of great feedback on it. This was what I was hoping for. Right now, we are really curious if we can reach an album chart position, because it’s still our release week. So, we’re going to know by the beginning of next week, I guess.
Have you got a deal for another album with Napalm?
Yes. This is meant to be a longer cooperation, not just this album. So, if everything works out and we’re happy with each other’s work, and until now I can say we are, and they are as well. So, I guess this is going to be a longer relationship.
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