RVG have revealed plans to release their third studio album, ‘Brain Worms’, alongside the release of its smoky lead single, ‘Nothing Really Changes’.
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The track builds in its intensity as it progresses, starting with Romy Vager’s understated vocals, a simple lead guitar line and ultra-crisp drum machines, before progressing into a driving and catchy rock song. In a press statement, Vager noted that it “started off as a songwriting experiment to write something catchy with an obnoxious riff”, calling it “a cross between Divinyls and ‘Smoke On The Water’ [by Deep Purple]”.
Thematically, she explained, ‘Nothing Really Changes’ is “about missing someone but protecting yourself from being hurt”.
Like all the songs on ‘Brain Worms’, the new single was tracked in London alongside producer James Trevascus. Vager said this was instrumental (no pun intended) in making ‘Nothing Really Changes’ what it is: “We were rehearsing It a lot leading up to recording the album but couldn’t get it to sound right on our own. James really helped us to orchestrate the parts in the studio and make it feel like an RVG song.”
Have a look at the accompanying music video for ‘Nothing Really Changes’, directed by Hayden Somerville (and filmed at the revered Ripponlea Estate in Melbourne), below:
In a statement of his own, Somerville described the clip’s setting and theme as “a giant empty estate haunted by a past decision”. He expounded on the concept: “The words and music painted this haunted manor world in my head. A lifeless body represents a past relationship so nicely, while also acting as a fantastic listener for Romy. I think it’s all very therapeutic.”
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‘Brain Worms’ itself is set to arrive on June 2 via Ivy League Records, marking RVG’s first release on the Mushroom imprint. ‘Nothing Really Changes’ is our first official preview of it, though the band have previewed other tracks in live sets – notably, they debuted the cuts ‘Tambourine’ and ‘Tropic Of Cancer’ in a recorded set all the way back in November 2021.
“If we could only make one more album,” Vager declared in her statement, “it would be this one.”
She said of RVG’s ambition for the project at its genesis: “Hype is scary. After two years of [COVID-19] it felt like the hype had gone down so we were able to just do stuff. This time around we were like, this is what we’re doing, we’re taking control, we’re taking risks, and we’re going to make an album that sounds big so that when we hear it on the radio we want to hear it again.”
See the cover art and tracklisting for ‘Brain Worms’ below, then find pre-orders for the record here.
1. ‘Common Ground’
2. ‘Midnight Sun’
3. ‘It’s Not Easy’
4. ‘Tambourine’
5. ‘Brain Worms’
6. ‘You’re The Reason’
7. ‘Squid’
8. ‘Giant Snake’
9. ‘Nothing Really Changes’
10. ‘Tropic Of Cancer’
Fans will have the chance to see RVG play songs from ‘Brain Worms’ live later this week, with the band set to embark on a national tour supporting Julia Jacklin (who the band had previously linked up with for a cover of Björk‘s 1995 classic ‘Army Of Me’) next Monday (February 25).
Following that run – comprising theatre shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, more details on which are available here – the band will head to the US for a pair of showcases at this year’s SXSW conference. And from there, they’ll jet over to the UK for a 10-date tour with Billy Nomates.
‘Brain Worms’ comes as the follow-up to RVG’s 2020 album, ‘Feral’, which was bolstered by singles like ‘I Used To Love You’, ‘Christian Neurosurgeon’ and ‘This Perfect Day’.
In addition to being named the the 15th best Australian album of 2020, ‘Feral’ earneda four-star review from NME’s Ali Shutler, who wrote: “Snapshots of confrontation, confusion and heartache sit alongside overwhelming moments of pure love. This is the sound of a band coming of age, and ‘Feral’ depicts RVG as the heartbreaking, soul-embracing force for good that they’ve threatened to be from the very start.”