We’re stoked to bring you the debut album from new Warner Music signing Venus II, titled Inside Your Sun.
Venus II is the exciting duo of Jarrad Brown, the frontman of local faves Eagle & The Worm and Dorsal Fins, and Sydney-based producer Ryan Grieve of Canyons. The album was mixed by Chris Colonna (Bumblebeez), and is an urgent, anthemic exploration of baggy-era rave music, acid dance, and Britpop.
These guys will be playing a couple of album launch parties very soon, as well as supporting GL on their tour, dates below. They’ve given us their thought on each of the album’s tracks, so have a geez.
Fight For It
My friend Domanic Byrne wrote a song called “Fight Song”, I saw his band play it at a show… It sounded a bit like the Clash… Rock n Roll with a bit of a skank on the guitar. I really liked it. I liked the idea of singing about fighting. Not fisticuffs , more so about fighting for a cause etc. So I did my own fight song.
Inside Your Sun (Extended Sun Mix)
Inside your sun was built around the things I loved about music that crossed from dance to indie and vice versa. Ry pushed it further with the production.
On My Way
Was a blue eyed soul track, a straight ahead song when it started. It got scratched a couple of times and redecorated as the same song but with less music and more space.
I Want U 4 Myself
Came out of an Eagle and the Worm jam session, and I had the title lyric in my head as the name of the song. Ryan scratched it and recut it as something more stark which we both loved. Ella, guesting on vocals made it all the more fun.
Hands On Fire
Not sure where this song came from. Bit of a word collage about this and that. And the music is party-time in B flat major.
My Direction
The modular b line was dreamed up by Ryan and the song itself was always floating around as somewhere we could put a big bassline. Watching Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising at the time so some “ritual sacrifices” in the vox!
Heart In My Pocket
Was never a song, it was always more of a mood or a jam. Or at least: mood first and foremost, and song secondarily. I guess a love song. Ryan brought the ruckus with the sweet balearic sounds.
I’m Still Here
Love song. Letter to a friend.
Cannibal Eyes
Cut this song down and re-wired it so many time. Chanty weirdo song about escaping from eyes that eat you.
Electricity
One of the more completed songs I (Jarrad) carried into the record. Guitar song. Simple love rock song.
ALBUM RELEASE PARTIES
Friday 19th August – Gasometer, Melbourne
Saturday 3rd September – Freda’s, Sydney
AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES (SUPPORTING GL)
Saturday 10th September – Howler, Melbourne
Saturday 17th September – Newtown Social, Sydney
