By Sofía Durand Fernández
couch
The Chinese band. Chinese vandals. Chinese bandals. The name of one of the most successful sets of indie pop and Argentine rock is currently leads multiplicity as a badge.
At first glance, put Vandals (2025) to his new album seems to be a wink to that confusion that occurs frequently. Actually, according to Goyo Degano (vocalist of the group), the name is born from another idea: kill the band.
In the video clip of “together command”, one of the singles, they kill each other inside the study. A satire to coexistence and the creative processes together. But also a contribution to the reinvention that they proposed once they began with the album.
They went from the mythical Sonic Ranch in Texas to have their own recording studio. They culminated in the “Jodorowsky Trilogy,” which consisted of the production of Adam Jodorowsky in the three previous albums. In Vandals They worked with Fermín Ugarte, who has been involved in productions such as Dillom.
Paradoxically, his latest work refers to sounds that were present from their first EP, such as I was never here (2014). According to Degano, it is to return to something that is part of what they are.
Chinese bandals will return to Montevideo this August 22, on site. Tickets can be acquired here.
Does the name “vandals” work as satire?
He has something satirical, to play another band. At some point, vandals with V short is another band, we remain the same and at the same time. There is something there that is a bit Tricky, and that came before starting to compose the songs. We conceptualize it before, thinking about how to make music that we motivate again or that we feel that it is new music for us. Then we said, “Well, let’s kill the band.”
A year ago you said that after El Big Blue (2022) planned to make great changes. This album also represents the end of an era. They did not return to the Sonic Ranch studio and changed the production, which was under the command of Adam Jodorowsky on the last three albums.
What I said a year ago was fulfilled because we recorded it in Buenos Aires. After recording three albums in Sonic Ranch, in the Texan desert, in 20 -day lapses, we now record for six months in our study. We came from doing the “Jodorowsky Trilogy”, as we baptized it, and in this return we call Fermín Ugarte, which is a kid much younger than us. In addition to musician, he is also a producer in projects such as Dillom. We seemed very interesting to find a younger head with a different approach and see where we could like.
In the “Commando Norma” video clip, this concept of killing the band appears, but through the idea of killing between you. Does this also satirize the coexistence and evolution of a human group that has been working for years?
Yes, it is undoubtedly taking it to a plane of irony and playing with what happens in all collective processes. Part of teamwork is to give up oneself, and in that resignation the ego does very crazy things. Suddenly, in that process you want to kill the other from a place that is “I hate that you have a better idea than mine.” It comes from a place that is constructive, but we seemed very fun to play about “this is what happens when you have a band, you want to kill all the members during almost the whole process and then the result is re cute.” There was something to continue playing with the roles and with the place each occupied inside the band.
Yes ok Vandals represents a new era, contains sounds that refer to the principles of the band, such as I was never here (2014). Do you also perceive this return to your beginnings?
We did not do it consciously, but yes, with Monday I see those same reminiscences. I think he is tied to us to return to the study in a playful plan and with time. Do not have to perform in 20 days and deliver an album, but record it without putting a deadline at the beginning and then depending on what we wanted to do. But this album arises from the intention to return to the study to play and when we recorded those albums and those EP, I was never here, In the air (2016), there we recorded a song in six months, extending the compositional and creative process. That is great that you see that because, for me, it is to play again with our music, it leads us to something that is part of who we are.
Photo: Martín Piratti
In addition to extending recording times, they went from recording isolated to do so in the city of Buenos Aires. I estimate that each process has its advantages and disadvantages, how does it affect the location in the composition?
The other isolated processes were very challenging and professionalization for us because you have no choice but to pay. You rented a study, you spent silver, you travel there and you had 20 days, do not paint or cold one day, you go to the studio, even if you have a fever. A lap, being in Texas and in the middle of the pandemic, offered us to vaccinate ourselves in the studio and we agreed. I remember that we were two days with a fever and recorded the same. It is something very cool in the sense that you give everything, it is like playing a World Cup. But he was taking that more playful part that is the one that brought us here first.
Everything has its pros and cons, I think it was very good to be able to involve our people in the process, before it had been very isolated. It was very good to be able to show your partner, a friend or family the work in process, invite them to the study and see how the creative process is. It was also very nutritious to join the creative and image of the album. Tomás Terzano, director of our video clips and the creative director with Delfina Kavulakian, both were involved from the beginning. It is not that we returned with a finished album and told them to do the art of cover. There was a thing of involvement that on the one hand was very positive, and on the other, it turned out for me for invasive moments. I had to learn to listen to opinions and, at first, be able to digest them cost me. With Monday I tell you that it was very nutritious.
The video clips released show a darker aesthetic, especially if compared to that of El Big Blue.
It is true, both at the musical and aesthetic level. Ana Rivera, the designer who made the lid art, had a very forceful proposal, all this typographical thing stretched and in black and white that raises the constant dichotomy between light and dark. It accompanies very well to the conceptualization of the album.
Punctually, the video clip of “The rhythm” is one of those who give another layer of meaning to the song, even raise it. While the lyrics are a bit ethereal and the message that is going down is not very clear, the video accompanies it very well, with a criticism of all this middle plastic philosophy and this average thing wellness that is fashionable and that in the end it seems to be something superficial.
How did the idea of announcing the releases through the list on a board?
It was quite discussed about that because we didn’t feel like doing a roll out. At some point we wanted to reveal and do it in our own way, however insignificant it was. At one point the idea of taking out the entire album from one was considered, something that several artists have made and has an impact. Then this idea occurred to us, to go first with “the rhythm”, which is like the least Chinese bandalos of this album, to surprise. Then go with a “come together”, which is accompanied by a video in which we appear and kill each other. “Then add” Revelation II “that also shows a new face of the band.
We made an artificial intelligence video for that topic. There is not a single shot in that video, everything is made from photos that Martin Piratti took, with which we took the disk promotion photos. I think that is great, because the letter speaks of not recognizing and not being connected to oneself, and here the one deforms our faces to encourage them. It is we, but we are not, and accompany the concept of killing the band. There is an aesthetic accompaniment that elevates music a bit.
Many things passed from BACH (2018), have grown constantly. How do they live it in the first person?
All the time is renewed, although there are milestones for the band and very important achievements, that of consecration is always renewed, provided you achieve a goal, a new one appears and that is challenging. In the first person you sometimes live with excessive normality because we are a group of friends, we know each other since we have 10 years, so there is a lot of naturalness in the link, that famous phrase that “among ghosts we do not step on the sheets.”
Chinese bandals never had an explosion, although since BACH The band grew a lot, we could project ourselves internationally and turn through Latin America, through Europe and the United States, it was always gradually, constantly, but not exponential. Sometimes this place that we reach as a band is lived with excessive normality, but at times one falls into reality and takes dimension. When we take out an album, we announce a tour like the one that comes in which we are going to play in almost all the most important capital in Latin America with shows in emblematic places or a high capacity, there you take perspective.
Photo: Martín Piratti
One of the last great milestones was the version of “Argentine customs”, along with puppy López.
It was a challenge because that topic has no study version. The version we all know is live, so it was challenging to try to be faithful to the original version, but giving them our mark. In that sense, puppy is a number one, invited us all to participate in recording and production. It is a very generous guy when working. In those study sessions, he said that Chinese bandals are like a advice of wise men, because for all decisions we discuss until we reach a decision. The vegetic is that we generate a re cute bond with him, and being honoring such an important band with one of its members endorsing it is crazy.
Is this new era also includes changes in the live show?
We are “cran” a new show and redesign the show we were doing. We add Fermín Ugarte to help us co -dire and find a new course. It also adds to the stage to play, so a new scenic arrangement is also assembled, we are putting together a new set. We want to find something that motivates us first to us, and that also represents this new era without losing sight of the essential.
There is a search to maintain that most eighty show of show live, but with a search for something a little darker, and not less powerful, but we don’t want to ignore ourselves. The magic will be in finding the midpoint.
You have to keep dancing.
That without a doubt. It’s what I get, I don’t think so. It was built over time and very in tune with what the public returned to me. It came out because one day I was euphoric, I saw that on the other side the public stayed face and I said, “well, we go with more.” It was a round trip that I was building.
While they got a record recently, are they planning to return to the studio?
When music comes out, for us the new process has already begun, which is the next album. We were already talking about when we enter the study again, above now we have our own study, any pothole that is going to be used to return to the study. With this new era, working with a new producer and feeling renewed energy we are already motivated to start with the next. The idea is to take advantage of the study and get all the possible juice. Who tells you that we do not record reversions of this album or work things that serve for the live show. Energy was renewed for us, when we get a new album, it starts a new era.
By Sofía Durand Fernández
couch
