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Indie pop-rockers The Electric Vogues are on a mission to bring us back to the days of dreamy afternoons spent listening to jukebox tunes in the diner. Having recently released their brand new single Take The Time, the 60s inspired band draw together a sound that shimmers in wistful melodies, drenched in haunting harmonies that revere those tie-dye hippie days.
Drawing on influences from some of the most revered artists of the 60s, The Electric Vogues evoke dreamy memories with their hazy rock and roll tunes.
Seeking inspiration from the likes of The Doors, Pink Floyd and Elvis Costello, the Sydney based band – Adin Milo on vocals and bass, Allyson Montenegro on vocals and drums, Elle Kress on vocals, keys and violin, and Byron Davis on guitar – say they’re all about constructing music that creates a feeling of familiarity you can’t quite put your finger on.
They met at the Australian Institute of Music, during a fortnightly performance assessment in which Adin asked Allyson to play drums for him. “The first ever songs we jammed out were All Day And All Night by The Kinks and Down On The Street by The Stooges,” Adin recollects, “which naturally progressed into writing and playing original music together along that style.”
That undeniably 60s-esque vibe which radiates from their records comes in part from Adin’s upbringing in a household obsessed with the greats of that era: The Beatles, The Kinks and The Beach Boys. “I just think they had such a different way of composing songs compared to now,”explains Adin, “Even their punk bands from back then had amazing melodies and harmonies that’s so out of character for punk bands when you think about it now. But it just works.”
Their latest single came about in part as a test to ascertain exactly what the band were capable of producing in a room the size of a shoebox over the course of a weekend. “We keep laughing because the guitar solo I played at the end of the song was through a GarageBand pre-set, and it has the fattest tone,” Adin says. They’re certainly not the first band to look for inspiration in semi-claustrophobic conditions – think Beck recording Odelay in the home of the Dust Brothers, or Iron and Wine on a four-track tape recorder in his Miami home.
For The Electric Vogues, what emerged from that weekend hideout was Take The Time, a tune bursting with a soothing indie-pop vibe, channelling the likes of The Velvet Underground and Electric Light Orchestra. It’s a throwback to hazy days cruising around in a blue-interiored Mustang, brimming with gently ambling vocals that eloquently wind their way into your subconscious.
As for those clamouring for a studio album, Adin’s still a little fearful. “Something about the words ‘full-length album’ scare me,” he explains, “it’s such a commitment and all the songs have to be able to blend well together. You have to stick with it and stay in love with your songs.” But don’t start fretting quite yet: even if their back catalogue of EPs – the five-track Feeling Dreams and four-track All I Needed – isn’t satisfaction enough to scratch your Electric Vogues itch, you shouldn’t have to hold out too long for your next fix: they’re looking towards an early 2016 release.
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