Nat Vazer's proudest moments on her new album 'Is This Offensive And Loud?'

Hey Nat thanks for taking the time to chat with us today! Can you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself and your music?

I’m an indie songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne. I recently quit my full-time career and travelled to North America to focus on songwriting. The last few years have been some of the most prolific for me - songs have come out of late night walks, exploring foreign cities and long drives to unknown destinations. Now I’m back in Melbourne and stoked to be releasing my debut album, ‘Is This Offensive And Loud?’ which comes out this Friday 29 May 2020.

How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before, can you liken it to any other artists?

I often get asked this and it’s hard to describe as the writer because I don’t think I’ve ever really ‘heard’ my music the way other people do. I guess ‘intimate’ and ‘indie pop’ are words people often used to describe the music. People at shows have come up and told me I sound a bit like Lucy Dacus, Mitski, and Alvvays. One time someone said George Harrison. Wild.

Who would you say are your biggest influences, musically or otherwise?

Musically - probably early Death Cab For Cutie and Ben Gibbard, Thom Yorke and Radiohead, The Beatles, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Nirvana. There are also many artists and extraordinary thinkers who continually inspire me to push creative boundaries and challenge the status quo, like Patti Smith, Julia Cameron, Ai Wei Wei and Judith Wright.

Your latest single ‘For A Moment’ has just been released, lifted from your forthcoming album Is This Offensive And Loud? Can you tell us a bit about this song, how it came to be, what it’s all about?

‘For A Moment’ was one of the last songs I wrote on the album and the first song I recorded in the studio. Aside from vocals and percussion, the song was pretty much recorded live with my band.

It’s a love song about someone I used to work with, that was never going to work out. But the song indulges in that fantasy of chasing something forbidden and the overwhelming fear of that possibility. Also inspired by drippy guitar sounds.

And what are some of your proudest moments on the album itself?

I recorded the album with producer Robert Muinos in a small room above a guitar shop in Melbourne. We were keen on a live, organic band sound for this album so I recorded all the songs with my band mates in the one room - no isolated booths involved. The ideas and sounds we were able to achieve in that room were extraordinary. Between all of us, I felt like there was some level of unspoken trust and understanding about this album, and a special kind of energy we were able to create collectively in that room. So I’m pretty proud that we were able to achieve that together.

Upcoming Performances:

Thursday 18 June

Leaps and Bounds Music Festival

'Records and Refreshments' at Beer Mash

Live stream via Rockhopper Records’ YouTube Channel and Facebook page

Free, with donations accepted

Saturday 20 June

Small Time, Brunswick

Live streamed to Small Time’s Facebook page

Free event but bookings required via Eventbrite

Viewers can also donate - 100% proceeds go to the artist

Friday 26 & Saturday 27 June