After been hailed as “the second coming of Nirvana” by international press during the release of their debut album, ‘Highly Evolved’ back in 2002, Aussie rockers The Vines are back with their 8th studio album ‘Wicked Nature’, the band’s first independent release, which was produced by frontman Craig Nicholls alongside Paul McKercher (You Am I) and performed by a brand new line-up including drummer Lachlan West and bass player Tim John.

Thanks to Shake Appeal, we had the chance to get in touch with the band’s new drummer Lachlan West in order to find out more about the new album, working with singer Craig Nicholls, the future of the band and much more.

SR. Let’s start by knowing a bit more about you. When did you and Tim (John) started your careers as musicians?

LW. We both grew up on the Central Coast, NSW, and started playing in bands in primary school. The two of us met at a Strokes concert in 2006, and have played together in various bands since then.

SR. What artists do you admire?

LW. We’re both big fans of Midnight Oil, Nirvana, The Kinks and Blur. Definitely artists who have shaped how we play.

SR. How did you get involved with Craig Nicholls to be part of the “new” Vines line-up?

LW. I was asked to have a rehearsal with Craig in 2012 when he was looking for a drummer, I assumed it went okay when he asked if there were any bass players I like to play with. I gave Tim a call as we’d played together for a while, we all seemed to click, and went from there.

SR. Craig is also the producer for the album. What’s the best advice Craig gave you guys so far?

LW. Craig generally isn’t one to impart wisdom unto others, but one thing he said while we were in the studio was ‘stuck with me’. Thinking is the enemy. We thought that was pretty profound.

SR. The new album Wicked Nature is surprisingly for many an independent release. Why the band decided not to work with a label for this?

LW. We didn’t want to have the pressure and constraints of making a record for a label and wanted to be able to give the album directly to the fans. This allowed us the freedom to do both and we’re very happy we did it this way.

SR. Can you describe a normal day at the studio while recording the album?

LW. We would record 2 songs a day generally, all three of us playing live in the room together, then we’d all get involved in overdubbing percussion and keys. Craig would layer harmonies which only take him 1 or 2 takes at most. We learnt a lot from him in the studio.

SR. How’s the fan reaction to the single Metal Zone so far?

LW. The reaction has been great, when a band with a hardcore fan base such as the Vines changes members there’s always some hesitation, but Vines fans have been nothing but cool to us.

SR. Metal Zone sounds very punk with some cool distorted pedals. Do you feel this is the direction the band will take from now on?

LW. There’s always been heavy guitars and distorted sounds on Vines records in the past and we’re not about to change that. If anything, having the band back to a three piece might keep it a little rough and grittier than in the past.

SR. What’s your favourite ‘Wicked Nature’ song and why?

LW. Anything you say – This is the first new song we all played together. I think it incorporates everything thats great about Craig’s songs, the psych, the rock and the harmonies. It was a fun one in the studio with all of us crowding around one microphone doing the percussion and harmonies, so we’ve got good memories of recording that one.

SR. Just to finish. When will you guys be hitting the road to promote the album?

LW. Very soon, nothing we can announce just yet, but there will definitely be shows before the end of the year. We’re all really excited to play the new songs, and sink our teeth into the old songs as well.