Brave Vultures - Sound In The Signals Interview

Essex Emo Rockers Brave Vultures recently announced their upcoming EP and released the first single "With Me". Fans and critics are both eager to hear more of I'm Not Coming Back If You're Not Here. Vocalist/guitarist, Dom Littler was kind enough to tell us how they started the band, how much music has helped him through hard times and how he hopes his lyrics help fans, and what made him realize he wanted to pursue a life in music.

First, thanks for the interview!

Dom: No problem, thanks for taking the time to interview us!

Brave Vultures is building a good fan base and interest from many reviewers. Can you tell us a bit about your background and music for those who may be unfamiliar?

The band started after my old band (Forever After) split up due to various reasons. I wasn't ready to quit playing music completely so asked my old drummer Craig if he would like to start another band with me, we managed to find a few guys to jam with but after a couple of practice sessions they slowly dropped out due to other commitments. Our guitarist Jack joined the band originally filling as a bass player at the time as we didn't have anyone to play bass for us. Our drummer Craig left the band due to other commitments and I left myself wondering who could we ask to play drums for us. After racking my brain I contacted an old college friend who i hadn't seen in over 6/7 years and out of the blue said "do you still play the drums? Wanna join my band?" He instantly said yes and that's how we got Richard on board. We booked some time in the recording studio and as Jack had been writing most of the lead guitar for the EP he asked if he could join as the lead guitarist and help find us a new bass player. While we were in the studio recording the EP I called my best buddy and ex Forever After bass player Harry, we asked if he could come record bass for the EP just to fill in. After a long week in the recording studio I said to Harry, the position is yours if you want it and he joined the band there and then.

Myself and Jack wrote the EP within a few months, taking influences from previous bands we had been in and also bands we love. We didn't set out to write to any particular genre we just went with our new friendship and bond as a band. Out of nowhere it created the emo rock sound that is Brave Vultures.

You recently announced your debut EP I'm Not Coming Back If You're Not Here, which is due out September 16th. Tell us about the writing and recording process. Are there any particular sessions or stories that stick out?

We recorded it with producer Paul Hepworth in Essex. We spent a week together improvising with different sounds and vocal techniques. When we started recording we technically didn't have a bass player, but as I explained above, Harry saved the day. I remember stressing on my last day of vocal takes because I hadn't finished writing the lyrics to "don't let me down" so I took the afternoon off to finish them.

"With Me" is the first single off the upcoming EP. It references the EP title in the song and it really showcases the band's sound and talent. Why did you choose it as the first single?

The single really stood out from all the other tracks on the EP for me purely because it is very personal to me. I wrote the song acoustically in my bedroom about a year ago and originally didn't think it would be good enough for the band due to it being a bit soft and poppy. After playing it to the guys nervously on my own at practice one night they all loved it as much as I did. Although it's not as heavy as our other tracks on the EP I think the sound will definitely be a direction we will be heading toward in the future.



Your vocalist/guitarist, Dom Littler, has said that you write to a realist style focusing on struggles with anxiety, love and relationships, and drug addiction and rehabilitation among other things. Isn't music a great way to share those feelings and to connect with others? What message do you hope your fans take from your lyrics?

Of course, music has helped me through so many hard times in life. I don't think there has been a single day in the last 18 years that I haven't listened or played music. I just hope people can relate to my lyrics and realise that they aren't alone, everyone goes through rough times and we are all here to help.

I've read that music and this EP is the band's "escape from the world" and the "first step in a career which Littler and his bandmates hope will save them from the mundanity of real jobs". Do you have any past jobs that you're happy to be away from now? When did you realize that music was what you wanted to pursue in life?

I think we all still work day jobs that we wish we could pack in completely and just hit the road, unfortunately for us we still need to work to help fund the band due to it being such early days. Myself- I realised that I wanted to pursue a life in music when I first heard Rainbow - "Since you've been gone" at the age of (roughly) 5/6? My dad used to always blast rock music around the house (and occasionally still does) I remember being brought my first guitar at the age of 10  and pretending to play to sold out crowds in my bedroom while singing along to cheesy rock songs!

You'll be releasing I'm Not Coming Back If You're Not Here digitally and physically. You're releasing it on CD and on cassette tape. Tell us about the decisions and planning behind the physical releases and the cover artwork.

We wanted to release the EP on cassette as a kind of limited collectors thing, due to tapes looking cool and vintage. CDs are still kinda a thing in the music industry so that had to be done, we wanted to get vinyls but couldn't afford it! The artwork is a photo taken at Venice Beach, LA by a good friend and photographer of ours Luke Baker. He was hanging around LA with some friends and took the photo of his buddies walking along the famous beach front. When he got home we started discussing music video ideas for the single and while he was showing me his collection of photos from his LA visit I fell in love with the romantic movie like photo.

You're set to release a video for "With Me" soon. What else can fans expect as you prepare to release the EP? Any teases for those who are waiting?

The EP has some fun tracks and some more personal tracks. Everything I write has meaning behind it. We will also be releasing an acoustic video of "with me" in the near future and also announcing some sick tours.

There is even talks of releasing a few more tracks before the year is out, but I can't promise anything yet!

Thanks for the interview. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

A big thanks to everyone who has checked the track out and we can't wait to get on the road and meet some new friends! Also buy some merchandise when it's out! BE BRAVE.


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-L.Burden