Growing up: On Revaira's New Single "Bloom" and How Their First Album 'In Between' Changed the Course of Their Careers
Hamburg native band Revaira wants to set the record straight for 2021. Their "comeback" is not what you would consider a new beginning. The band is still very much grounded within its roots, with its fan's best interest at heart. Like many artists, however, they want to spread their wings and try something new. This could not be more true with their latest single release, "Bloom." Bold and Progressive as ever- Revaira has stayed true to their word when they say they haven’t strayed far from their musical influences, but vocally is where the magic happens, and where fans will appreciate the band's spontaneity this time around.
Revaira “Bloom” Single Art
The German band has been on quite the ride since the beginning of 2016, trailblazing a path for themselves that would create their first strong debut album in 2018, In Between via Redfield Records. This would not only create an effusive fanbase for themselves but an overall impressive full-release for a band that has barely touched the surface of the scene for all but two years.
However, this made them realize that they wanted to work again as an independent act. This would lead to another unprecedented chapter in the band's lives where the five-piece would embrace another form of musical artistry for the rest of their current careers, "DIY." Whether it comes to recording, video production, or marketing, Revaira has come into last year and the beginning of this year doing things on their terms. With this new vision and sound on the horizon, Revaira doesn't just want to show what you can do with your own two hands, they want to show the world that you don't need to be signed to make a decent record. "Bloom" does this and more, showing a taste of what's to come for the band, yet at the same time barely scratches the surface of lies ahead. To tell us a bit more, I got to sit down with one of Germany's most talented bands in the scene to discuss their latest release, their last record, and what next for the band in 2021.
I know you guys had a strong debut album, with priorly signed Redfield Records, In Between. What was that writing experience like for you guys? What made you want to start over and try something new?
First of all, thank you for your kind words. The writing process has been stretched over a long period. For example, the song "Stranger" is still from our time with Red Light Season, our former band. In total, the songs on the album have been written between 2013 and 2018. These are each inspired by the bands that influenced us the most at that time.
I wouldn't call our "comeback" a new beginning. The new songs are still Revaira and will delight fans of both hard and soft sounds. The biggest difference is probably the vocals, which are kept clean for the most part. On the whole, we would call it growing up.
In Between goes beyond the scope of heavy. It has beautiful melodic and progressive vibes. The production on this was also top-notch. In what ways is your new single, "Bloom," different from your last full-length effort?
We tried to draw our whole repertoire in the new single. Progressive, melodic, round, and in combination with hard, deep tones. We hope to surprise our current listeners with the new single in a positive way and of course, we hope to gain new ones as well.
In Between was an accumulation of singles over 5 years. “Bloom” sums up our future style and embodies a newer, straighter direction without becoming boring, as well as other new songs.
What musical influences helped shape your band and how were you able to mesh that together in "Bloom?"
The biggest inspiration for us is still the Australian metalcore scene. Bands like Northlane, Thornhill, and Alpha Wolf. In addition, the genre of progressive rock, with bands like The Contortionist, The Ocean, or Katatonia is another inspiration for us. Finally, we try to incorporate an 80's vibe into our songs, which is also becoming more and more popular, especially in pop music.
How did the recording process affect this new release?
Our recording process has developed in a self-made direction. “In Between” was recorded by a friend of ours. Meanwhile, our singer records everything by himself. This simplifies the process in general and gives us more time to reconsider and finish the songs.
The final link in the chain is the Australian producer Lance Prenc. He has produced bands like Polaris, Alpha Wolf, Thornhill, etc. The relaxed collaboration with Lance, without exception, ultimately creates the sound that meets and even exceeds our expectations.
What were the challenges you faced with "Bloom," being that 2020 was a difficult year for many people, how were you able to overcome that?
In principle, it was a flowing process. From the first demo to the finished product, everyone pulled together. Both musically and humanly, we have developed in the same direction without having anyone to pretend. That's why we are prouder than ever of our music and extremely excited about the response. The negative aspect was, of course, that we couldn't play any shows. However, this also provided freedom for writing new music.
There are some star-studded features on your last album, such as "Cresent," a massive track that in my opinion, really showcases your band's instrumental abilities. There are others such as: "Pulse," "Aporia," which is beautiful in the sense that we get a great combination vocally of your two styles, and "Recovery," which are all testaments to your band's unique gifts as up and coming artists in the genre. Will we see more songs like this moving forward with your bands' new music?
There will be both harder and softer elements to our songs. We think that the softer songs will be catchy and more universal. The harder songs will be slightly less complex, but much more impactful and straight forward. However, what connects all the songs is the mixture of these melodic, hard, and deep tones. In our opinion, all listeners will find the experience worth it.
Were there any ambitions you didn't realize this year that you want to focus on next year?
We let 2020 be 2020. Originally, we had the idea to post new material already in summer. But in the end, we decided to write more songs and release them later at regular intervals. This way, there are fewer holes between the releases, and thus we hope to stay interesting. The goal is to address a new audience but include the existing listeners as well. At some point, we want to bring new songs to the stage as well. Everything else will come eventually.
Listen to "Bloom" down below!