Vivian Girls: Surf's Up, And There's Reverb In The Waves

Taking a moment to think, Cassie Ramone looks at the ceiling, pouting and pulling on her blonde Chan Marshall hair. “Relationships are one of the only things I can write about," she confesses, "because it’s what I’ve felt. I can’t write about politics, because I don’t know anything about politics, but I know all about my feelings.”

Having only been in existence for a year and a half, Vivian Girls are a contradiction. Their voices are sweet, but their music is all Stooges fuzztone. They are light-hearted and blithe, but possess a certain sage wisdom belying their years. They look like the girl next door, but you’ve probably never lived next door to anyone as cool at this. At least, I haven’t. Dreamed up over brunch in a Mexican restaurant, the band comprise Ramone, 22, on guitar and vocals, with ‘Kickball’ Katy, 24, contributing bass and vocals, and drummer Ali Koehler, also 22, finishing off their sun-laden, Sixties harmonies.

Described as “surfy-punk with girl-group harmonies and lots and lots of reverb”, Vivian Girls are refreshingly retro with a twist, and enlighteningly unique in a climate of could-be-cloned indie bands. “We just wanted to make melodic punk like the Wipers, and we love Nirvana,” muses red-headed Katy. “Who are Nirvana?” jokes Ali. “Nirvana, Nirvana, Nirvana!” Cassie yelps over both.

Their happily mish-mashed sound, referencing Shop Assistants and the Shangri-Las, was something of an accident. All The Time, opener of their ten-track, 21 minute self-titled debut, sets the tone. “We used to have a hardcore breakdown at the end of it, with Bikini Kill-esque screaming, but we thought, let’s make it pretty,” Cassie explains. “A stylistic choice that we haven’t regretted.”

Originally on indie imprint Mauled By Tigers, the album became a collector’s item in a matter of months, and had to be re-released. There is a lot of giggling and finishing each others’ sentences, a sense that this band knows the back of one another’s hands as well as their own. “We hang out with each other almost exclusively, so we’ve developed a strange, inbred sense of humour,” Ramone says. “In Monorail earlier, we used a series of laughs as a way of communicating...we don’t even talk like people anymore!” Ali adds. All this japery is not to say the Girls don’t get any work done. Graphic design graduate Cassie handles all the artwork and visuals. The trio run their own label, Wild World, printing their own t-shirt and postcard designs, silk screening all release covers, updating a fan blog and managing themselves. “I almost had to drop out of college, booking a US tour in our first year. Luckily, we all graduated okay,” says Katy, smiling.

The group are also realistic but shrewd when it comes to promotion via the internet, despite their retro style. “We are girls in our early twenties, raised with the internet. We’re going to embrace all it has to offer, even the downsides,” the bassist explains. The band leaked the album themselves before its release, to avoid fans getting low-quality vinyl rips. “There’s nothing you can do to avoid being dragged into internet culture. As many people can hear your songs, the better,” Ali enthuses.

Video: Tell the World

Sarcasm and irony also play a big part in the trio's approach. The intentionally dorky video for Tell the World and consistent in-joking make this seem like a band that just want to play and have a great time, ignoring the occasional ignorant outburst sent their way. “I’ve only recently realised how many sexist men there are in the world,” Cassie drawls. “But there’s nothing you can do about it,” shrugs Ali. This is something the girls are struggling to get used to, having not received such judgement in their own community of bands in Brooklyn. It's a tight-knit group, having birthed such bands as Chairlift and Crystal Stilts (counting former Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose among their ranks). “We’ve been friends with the guys from Cause Co-motion since before any of our bands existed. We support each other a lot,” says Cassie.

After a year packed with appearances at SxSW, gigs with Jay Reatard, Japanther and TV on the Radio, opening for Sonic Youth and a New Year show with Yo La Tengo and the Feelies, Vivian Girls aren’t ready to relax. “We’re taking January off to write and hang out with our friends. In February, we’re going to Europe, then recording our second album, and doing a two month tour of the US and Europe again,” explains Katy. “We’re going to spend all summer petting dogs in parks in Brooklyn. Drinking milkshakes! And lemonade! But not together, because that’s gross...” Cue a collective “eww”.

The swagger in their dainty strides and the hearts on their sleeves make us think that this year could be even better than their last. But the girls themselves aren’t too bothered. “Life is weird, in a good way... a wild wave we are continuing to ride.”