Welcome to In Conversation, a special interview column on the site where we sit down with artists and dive deep into everything music. This week, Joe sat down with Jack Bergin of Void of Vision to discuss the band’s upcoming EP, working with Dan Searle and the Hannah Greenwood feature. Read our review of CHRONICLES II: HEAVEN here.
With the release of the “INTO THE DARK” video, you’ve now worked with The AV Club on several videos. What has it been like working with them across various projects?
Myself and Cian [AV Club Director] have been great friends since high school and have been collaborating together non-stop since… I think from working together for such a long period we’ve created some form of symbiosis where we can really understand each other’s vision clearly, which makes the creative process for all our videos a breeze, allowing us to get more adventurous each time around.
With the music videos for CHRONICLES: II, there has been a shift in what was seen for CHRONICLE: I. Is the plan to have a unique visual style for each EP in the series?
Definitely! Each chapter will definitely have its own unique looks, and I think it’s speaking for my own individual search for identity. There’s a lot of influence poured in from my favourite art forms/pop culture references alongside a lot of myself in there as well. It’s been quite a journey so far and there’s still much more to share.
What’s it been like having the input from Dan Searle, and how has that relationship worked?
Having Dan’s output was extremely valuable and shaped the final product in a major fashion. The relationship was a pretty straightforward ‘covid process’, haha – a lot of spitballing and sending back and forth via zoom meetings. Pretty much what you’d expect in a lockdown! His songwriting ability is very special, a true master of the craft, and it was very interesting hearing every way a song of ours could potentially be shaped in his brain. If it weren’t for Dan I don’t think I’d even be singing on “Into The Dark“, and that alone changed the dynamic like crazy. Very honoured we were able to work alongside someone we’ve looked up to for years.
Do you feel CHRONICLES: II is your finest body of work to date?
Absolutely. I feel the creative process behind this one was the most charged and unique yet. We definitely pushed ourselves a lot more than we ever had and took brand new approaches like traveling to remote destinations to write it all. All our lives were surrounded by a lot of uncertainty at the time, alongside some major shifts in our lives with personal relationships. I feel like you can really hear that throughout the recordings, and we’re super proud that we could translate such life-defining moments within our music.
Where did the idea come from to explore that sound on “DOMINATRIX”?
I think a massive shift of influence to be honest. We haven’t necessarily fallen out of love with heavy music of late. I think we’ve just broadened our horizons to other genres. Our love for dance music has evolved a lot since our last record, and the ability to incorporate those influences so effortlessly now has really worked in our favour. The idea for “DOMINATRIX” literally started with that female vocal loop and the rest came from there.
Has breaking this project up into EP allowed for more time to explore different directions when it comes to the sound and visuals?
Definitely! We always planned to map out a different direction for each release from the beginning but I think the most exciting aspect of writing like this has been the “on the fly” attitude. As soon as we submit masters for one EP we begin the creative process for the next and hustle to get it out for a super-fast follow-up (without being too hasty, haha). I think especially lyrically it has paid off having the influence for that aspect SO fresh out of my brain that by the time it’s released it’s almost like I’m still living throughout the moment I captured within those words. Visuals obviously stem a lot from the lyrics, which is in that same boat in terms of quick turnaround. It really depends on what art/pop culture I’m appreciating at the time and how I can try and emulate the same feeling I got from those forms of art unto others via our art.
How did the collaboration on “ALTAR” with Hannah Greenwood come about?
Our good friend (and A&R at UNFD) Leander introduced us during one of our main writing trips, as we were falling out of love with “ALTAR” as a song. As soon as Hannah was bought into the process, she breathed new life into it, and all of a sudden a track that once seemed like it may have not made the EP found itself on there as one of our collective favourites.
Many thanks to Jack for sitting down for a chat with us. You can pre-save Void of Vision’s upcoming EP CHRONICLES: II here.