GENEROUS BEATS LOCAL ELECTRO-POP DUO VIPER CREEK CLUB GIVES LISTENERS THE MEMORY-MAKING JAMS THEY WANT WITH A NEW EP
Written by Joe Gustav Photography by Casey Sjogren If it is true that memories are the best gifts of all, then Viper Creek Club is in a giving mood. The Seattle two-piece electro-pop band of Mat Wisner and Brandon Jensen seeks to give fans what they want on their upcoming, currently untitled EP: fun. The kind that begs to be experienced live. “It’s more like blasting you for 30 minutes,” Jensen said of the new material set to debut at the end of this year or in early 2012. The first LP, 2010’s “Letters,” was a more restrained and at times moody outing. Charting on Puget Sound radio tastemaker KEXP’s Northwest Top 10 and receiving college radio spins nationally, listeners gravitated to the rich compositional textures adorning electronic pop music’s typical tones. However, no song received more burn than single “Eliza,” the project’s most up-tempo number. The aching lyrics may read like a plea at an intervention, but the insistent chorus is anthemic and instantly memorable. These attributes serve as the blueprint for the new EP. “I was like, let’s make a bunch of ‘Elizas,’” Wisner said. “It didn’t necessarily go that way, but it’s in that vibe. It’ll be more fun live, especially when we go to festivals. The coolest live shows are like that: up-tempo, kind of pop.” Grabbing fans in a festival setting is a must. “We think about it, what are people going to have fun to?” Wisner explained. “If it’s a showcase of people who are unknown and just rocking it, then a shit load of people will get in there. Then all of a sudden, you’ll do five or six of those in a week and Spin starts writing about you. When we go to the festivals, that’s what’s going on and as an
Check out VCC at www.vipercreekclub.com and on twitter @vipercreekclub.
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independent artist, that’s one avenue where you can thrive.” Upon initial listen to the first leak from the EP, “I Want You To,” VCC is certainly looking to throw the kind of memorable, high-energy sets that capture attention at indie-industry showcases like CMJ (where they played last year) and SXSW (where they plan to perform again this spring). A shouted chorus encourages audience sing-a-longs as the lyrics in general keep it simple, doing away with “Letters’” darker undertones. The track is anchored by a big, stomping electro beat. Viper Creek Club worked on honing its new direction in Anaheim in September for the Windows 8 launch show. They played to thousands of attendees, opening for Ra Ra Riot and We Are Scientists, but the audience at that Windowsrelated gathering is miniscule to the one they will have when the new software launches in 2012. “Letters” is licensed for online promo and VCC is featured in one of the Windows 8 music tiles. The audience that will see and hear Wisner and Jensen via Microsoft means is colossal: Windows 7 is closing in on 500 million copies sold and a developer preview of Windows 8 was downloaded 500,000 times within 12 hours of its release. The opportunity came about from friends who were working on the campaign. “They listen to it in the office and they have been for a year or so, then people heard it,” Jensen said. “They stuck it in as a placeholder basically and wanted to keep it so they contacted us. “Our friends are super good supporters.” Viper Creek Club is doing its best to support
other local acts across all genres. In 2011 they released a collection of Northwest hip-hop remixes, “ViperLust,” in partnership with Seattle rap label Members Only. VCC gave its take on cuts by the likes of Fresh Espresso, Sol and Blue Scholars, and gave it away as a free download, a gift to fans and new friends in the city’s hip-hop community. They also individually help record, mix and master albums for other artists; Jensen lends his production talents to Seattle hardcore bands such as Monster Monster. “With the hip-hop stuff, we work with smaller artists and they’ll even ask me for advice and stuff,” Wisner said. “I’ll still work with them and that’s the most important thing. If we think someone is good and talented, we’ll still work with those people and we’ll continue to do that. I’ll give them free beats. “That’s part of the community of music. People have reached out to us, like Mad Rad put us on their release show and we weren’t as big as them. Hopefully we can do that for others. For the whole Seattle music scene, that’s why hip-hop is good here. Everyone is reaching down to whoever is good.” Outside of Viper Creek Club, Wisner dropped a solo project, “Cobras,” in October. Jensen is sitting on a wealth of solo material (“‘sad bastard’ music,” he stated), but has no immediate plans to release any. Both are focused on taking advantage of the opportunities they’ve been given as VCC and to continue giving fans what they want; the kind of musical experiences that make lasting impressions, what some would consider the best gift of all.
Viper Creek Club has a gift for you. Take a sneak peek at VCC’s new EP and new direction. Catch the world premiere stream of “I Want You To” at the DList blog.