A relatively new face in the retro rock scene, Vulvarine just recently released their second album, Fast Lane, through Napalm Records. A curious sound that melds rock, metal, and punk into a retro blender, there’s a fun, but serious side to the act. We spoke with drummer Bea Heartbeat about their new album, their current tour, what ‘vulvarock’ is all about, and what their plans are for the future.
Dead Rhetoric: Fast Lane has been out for almost a week now. How’s the reception been so far?
Bea Heartbeat: It’s been great! It’s more than we expected and everything we hoped for. We have gotten a lot of great feedback and invitations to talk to people. We are performing a couple of those songs live each night on our current tour and it’s been good.
Dead Rhetoric: You have also been on the road for a bit too already this year. How has it been and what do you strive for the most with playing live?
Heartbeat: This tour has been great. We have three shows left, unfortunately. I could go on forever [laughs]! It was 26 shows in total all across Europe. We strive to reach a bigger audience, which is why we are really grateful and lucky to be the support for Thundermother on this run. They have been a help for us to reach a larger audience and I think it’s a good fit. There’s a lot of great respect from Thundermother fans, and now hopefully they will be our guests at our next shows.
Dead Rhetoric: Was there anything you have learned from this tour run that you want to do more of, or less of, in the future?
Heartbeat: I can say that I personally learned a lot on this tour. For example, talking to Thundermother’s drummer Joan [Massing]. There’s a lot that I learned from her. Also, just seeing how everyone works together as part of this team, I think it helped all of us grow as musicians and have a more professional approach.
Dead Rhetoric: Fast Lane is your second album. I know there were line up changes, but how do you feel it went differently than last time? How does the line-up feel to you?
Heartbeat:Everyone in this project right now really wants this. They work really hard. They put in a lot of effort and hours in. I feel very positive about the record and line-up, it’s what we need to take it to the next level. Sometimes it takes a few changes, and sometimes you have to quit when you reach a point when you see that it’s not good for you and your health. It’s not a fun, hobby project anymore, it’s work. But I love it, and our current crew we have now loves it, so Vulvarine is at it’s best now.
Dead Rhetoric: You define your sound as ‘vulvarock,’ and in truth, it’s hard to classify your sound other than the retro-rock feel. Have you found that to be a good or bad thing?
Heartbeat: It’s a hard thing when you come to interviews and you are asked this question [laughs]! In general, I think it’s a good thing. If you don’t fit in any drawer, it’s an invitation to listeners to make up their own minds about the sound. It also opens up possibilities. We can play punk festivals, and we did. We can play heavy metal shows. It’s not as narrow. About the expression, vulvarock. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We address serious topics of course, but it’s opposed to the ‘cock rock’ expression that has been around for a long time. It’s our fun way to address it.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you feel separates you, in your eyes, from the rest of the retro rock scene?
Heartbeat: For sure, I don’t know all of the bands out there that are into the retro rock movement. So I wouldn’t dare to say that we create something that is unique and hasn’t been seen before. But it’s just a collection of sounds and approaches, and themes that are important to us. It’s probably a unique mix because we are unique individuals as everyone else. We are trying to just stay true to ourselves. If you listen to the album, you probably found a lot of variety in the music. No song is like the others, that’s my impression.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you feel was the most important thing in covering “Cherri Cherri Lady” for the album? You definitely made it your own.
Heartbeat: It was kind of an early idea, when we put together the songs and ideas for the album. We wanted to have a cover, and maybe also reach a longer audience, and have a fun experiment. We went ahead on one of our long drives and everyone brought ideas about what songs we could cover, so we made a list and everyone gave them points. This was the song that got the most points. Then we started working on it. We found out quickly that it was a great song to work with. The songwriting is great, and we added a completely new part to the middle with a solo in there from Filippa [Nassil] from Thundermother contributed. Its always fun to make a pop song a metal or rock version from it. It’s fun to play live too. People that don’t know us, they can hear something that they know and it’s a turning point for the live show in getting people moving.
Dead Rhetoric: You said you had a list. Did you stow away some of those ideas for the future?
Heartbeat: That’s a good idea actually, I think we have that list somewhere and there were some good ideas on there. But there was a lot of trash too [laughs]! Its worth having another look at it.
Dead Rhetoric: “Equal, Not the Same” covers an important distinction in the meanings of those two words. What do you hope is the listener’s takeaway when you write a song like that?
Heartbeat: Ideally, it would give them some food for thought. I don’t want to push a message on someone who isn’t ready to listen. I think we also provide music that is likeable, and that a large audience can relate to. If they have a look in the mirror and make a connection with it, as well as our lyrics and appearance on stage, then that’s great. If they go home and think about it, and if we reach a younger audience, such as young women and girls, with us being who we are, that’s all I could ever hope for. It’s a plain message, so it really puts it on the spot.
Dead Rhetoric: With the Vulvarine mascot, is it important to have something to represent the band and evolve with it?
Heartbeat: The Vulvarine, our heroine, has been around since our first album, Unleashed, and we had her on the EP. We have her again on this album cover, so it’s a story to build on. You don’t need to get the story, but for people who have followed us from the beginning or for people who are just starting to follow us now, it’s a nice thing to have. Its a connector between the different records and it’s a nice message to have this strong female heroine that goes through a lot. We put her through a lot with our different stories that our songs express. She is making those experiences in our world as a woman. She grew up and gets stronger and it’s a nice takeaway.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you feel are the most timeless parts of rock music that allows it to thrive?
Heartbeat: I can only speak for myself, but it’s a nice experience that connects so many people. The feeling that you have as being part of a rock concert or show – it doesn’t matter the size. But being there with others and having a similar experience in the same moment, I think nothing in the digital world can be as strong, for me at least. Other generations might have a different view, but this simultaneous experience is the best.
Dead Rhetoric: So do you put a lot of emphasis on the live show in making sure what you are doing is conveying that feeling when you go out?
Heartbeat: Yes, but it almost happens automatically. We are so into it and we put so much energy and feeling in our live performance. We are having so much fun that I think the audience gets that feedback a lot. It’s a huge part of Vulvarine and for us as musicians.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you hope to see more of in the rock and metal scene as we move towards the future?
Heartbeat: I really hope people continue coming to shows and concerts. I hope more younger people will find their way into the concert halls again. I think COVID was a throwback, especially young people had to find different ways to connect. I hope they discover/rediscover it for themselves. Nowadays, as a musician, you live from playing shows and not from Spotify streams.
Dead Rhetoric: What are your plans for the rest of this year?
Heartbeat: We have a lot more shows coming up. We can’t announce all of them yet, but if you follow us on social media, we will frequently update it. Of course, this concerns Europe right now. I really hope to visit the US at some point. We are already laying down plans to work on new material, so there will be not much rest going on. We are going to continue working.