Political rockers, VANT have released their debut album ‘Dumb Blood’. Following the hype which built after tracks like ‘Peace and Blood’, ‘Karma Seeker’ and ‘Do you know me?’. ‘Dumb Blood’ was highly anticipated. Here’s what they had to say on 2016, their album and the concept of a debut.
What was the main reason you formed VANT?
To document the world we live in and call out the atrocities.
What bands and artists influenced your style?
Fugazi, The Clash, MIA, The Vines, Pixies, The Kinks, Neil Young & PJ Harvey to name but a few.
In 2016, you released 3 singles plus an EP. How did you feel last year went for you guys?
It was great, we did so many amazing things and visited so many great places, we can’t wait to see where 2017 takes us with our debut album in tow.
Looking at the rest of the year, your debut came out on 17th February. What was the writing and recording process like?
Odd and untraditional. We recorded it over a long period of time, working with our producer and friend Sam Miller in between tours. It was a great luxury as we were able to amend things we weren’t happy with right up until the mastering stage. I think we’d all like to get in somewhere for a month next time round and get it finished in one go!
Do you feel there’s now huge pressure on bands to produce a great debut album as its now the “make or break moment”?
Not really, I think if you truly believe in what you are doing you will continue to write songs until the cows come home. It’s an unpredictable time in the industry, it can take a band two or three albums to “break” even if they are producing great music, you just need a team of people around you that believe in what you are doing and are willing to help you make an impact. I feel lucky to have Parlophone in that respect and everything considered, we have produced a bloody great debut album! Ha.
You have an extremely political tone throughout your material, especially “Peace and Love”. Is this something that will occur throughout your upcoming album?
The album is a summary of where we are as a species in 2017. We live in very political times and we should be using our voices in the real world and through art. Our album covers a wide range of issues and I hope it can be a soundtrack to the world in which we live and a voice for a lot of people who need one right now.
You’re extremely active on social media, do you feel like this helps you stay in touch with your fanbase?
Definitely, I hated social media when we began, part of me still does but there are certainly benefits if it’s used in the right way. The connection that you refer to, is definitely the most positive thing about it. I am full of hope, there are a lot of young people who want to use their voices however, it’s important that we take these opinions on to the streets as well as on social media platforms.
What are you plans for the rest of 2017, post album release?
We’ll be touring it as much as we can whilst writing the next album, we want to keep things moving as much as possible. We’ll also be trying to do things outside of music as well to help worthy causes in whatever way we can.
