Leading up to the release of his second EP, Aussie electronic-R&B artist JVLY gives us a taste of his sound with his newest single, “me&her.” The newest track embodies his sound; it’s smooth and mesmerizing, synthy and hypnotic. Fresh off the new release, JVLY graciously shed some light on himself and his sound. Catch the Q&A below!
Tell me about working with DRKTMS. What was the experience like, and did it influence the sound of the track?
Working with DRKTMS was cool. It’s strange working with someone on the other side of the world on something so close to you, but it’s definitely a cool experience. I always like collaborations because it’s interesting how they can turn out to be something totally different to what you initially expect. Sometimes I have this set idea that I’m gonna write a song like this, and I do it, but then other times I’ll have an idea and by the end it’s morphed into something completely different. It’s funny cause this was originally at a more housey tempo, that’s kind of why I asked DRKTMS to help work on it cause his stuff is more in that realm, but then he was like “hey how about we slow it right down?” That kind of changed the direction of it and we just built everything from there.
Is me&her about someone specific? And on a broader note… where do you usually draw the inspiration for the subjects of your songs?
Everything is based off real life in some way. I don’t really have a process for that though, things just happen to you or around you and then they sit there and kind of just fester until you can think of one good line to paint a part of whatever it is and then it just stems from there. That’s how it seems to work for me anyway.
The artwork for me&her continues the theme you have in your previous album art. What’s the inspiration and what should the artwork tell us? And who is the artist?
I’ve been working with an artist called Baperil on all my visuals. At first I had just seen some of her work that I thought stylistically really suited the music I was making, so i hit her up and we started collaborating. I would just send her my songs and then describe the concept, and then we’d go back and forth on ideas. It sort of turned out to feel like these otherworldly characters and settings in the artworks became part of the stories that were being told in the songs. I really liked that. You can see pain in the faces of them or indecision or whatever it is. With the Japanese influence in the animations, it sort of somehow helped push me in the direction of some of the concepts on this latest project and definitely the name “Wild Onsen Echoes”, which kinda also stands for “Woes.”
Which contemporary artists do you find yourself listening to?
This question is so hard. I might just have to say what’s on my Spotify recents right now or I’ll just rattle shit off all day. Durand Jones & the Indications, still on A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead, King Krule forever, FKJ, Tennyson, In Love With a Ghost, Banes World, Bon Iver, Men I Trust, Maribou State and Jamiroquai.
How do you think your sound has changed over time?
Everything’s just more deliberate now. In the beginning I was trying to find a sound as went, while I was writing and releasing music. Now I know the sound in my head that I want to achieve and I’m not satisfied with it until it’s like that. I’m a lot more critical of it now.
What direction do you want your music to go in? Is there any specific sound or technique you’re really dying to try?
I just want my music to make you feel something. I love trying to create nostalgia. Bon Iver’s writing is so wild to me because the stories are so specific to an individual life and experience, but somehow it forces you to connect and relate to it in some way. If one person says they feel like my song is about something in their life, then I’m happy.
How is your personality reflected in your sound?
Idk they both suck.