Gold-Coast Indie Rockers, the Vultures have just released a new single, ‘Conversations’. The duo who have been working together for many years have also announced that an EP ESCOBAR will follow later this year.
Guitarist Liam Bowditch and drummer Joe MacPhail first formed the band in 2013. The Vultures went from strength to strength and were eventually nominated for a Gold Coast Music Award in 2015. They then took a break before reemerging in 2019 with the single ‘Every Night’.
After spending a period seeking inspiration in Berlin, the Vultures are now ready to release new music. ‘Conversations’ sees the band dialling back their indie rock sensibilities and going full retro disco. Whilst the song has a nod to its Studio 54 origins, the band ensures a sound that is contemporaneous, given that it was inspired by the isolation of the Covid lockdowns in 2020.
| “Conversations is about turning to dreams as a mode of communication at the emergence of a newly chaotic world, separated from our family, friends, and the outside” according to the Vultures. |
‘Conversations’ is a disco anthem, but has an edgy feel and so avoids the sometimes mawkish aspects of that genre. The video has the duo performing in front of dreamy, hallucinogenic backdrop. The lyrics to the song appear Karaoke-like onscreen. At the end of the video there is a wide shot revealing that Bowditch and MacPhail have been performing in front of a green screen and everything that has been seen is an illusion.
On the theme of illusion, listening to the duo’s portfolio, I couldn’t help but think that there is not a genre that the Vultures cannot inhabit and make their own. Trying to categorise them is a waste of time. The Vultures are more like Chameleons! Previous songs, like ‘If you only knew’ is a full steam ahead rocker that references the War on Drugs. The last single, ‘Every Night’ is a funky hook-filled anthem. Then there is ‘Shot me Down’ which features a riff that would make Jimmy Page green with envy.
With ‘Conversations’ The Vultures signal their return to the fray. Bowditch and MacPhail are a supremely talented duo, who have been jamming together since 2008. Their ability to draw on the best of various contemporary rock (and disco!) genres to inform their sound is astonishing. Is there anything that these two cannot do?
The Vultures will play Mo’s Desert Clubhouse on 17th March Tickets here.
‘Conversations’ is out now via all streaming platforms.
