“Once this song was written, we had a much more clear idea of where the album was headed. A more grimy, riffy direction,” says Vattnet Viskar’s Nick Thornbury to Decibel.
Thornbury is speaking of Vattnet Viskar’s new album, Settler. If there’s one thing that immediately jumps out about the Granite Staters’ sophomore effort, it’s the cover. It features an image inspired by astronaut Christa McAuliffe in an anti-gravity chamber–aka a KC-135 “vomit comet” flight. The sheer emotion of happiness on the figure’s face is undeniable. That McAuliffe was, in effect, going where no school teacher had gone before. The tragedy that followed–the Space Shuttle Challenger in January 1986–still weighs heavy on our collective conscience.
That an ultimate high can be trailed by an ultimate low is something Thornbury knows all too well. “The lyrics are much more personal on this album,” says the Vattnet Viskar frontman. “I really wanted to convey some raw, real emotion. It was a rough year, and that’s reflected here. I went through a divorce that crushed me and sent me into multiple mental breakdowns. We’ve lost family members. The list goes on. And let’s not forget all the other random petty bullshit that everyone deals with on a regular basis. Overall, I would say Settler is about the huge highs and lows of life, and that nothing in life is as simple as everyone tells you.”
Now, if Thornbury’s personal challenges combined with the vivid memory of the Space Shuttle Challenger breaking apart mid-ascent–McAuliffe was also from New Hampshire–are downers, remember, it’s Monday. And Monday’s are usually no fun. Bring on Vattnet Viskar and Tuesday!
** Vattnet Viskar’s new album, Settler, is out June 16th on Century Media Records. Pre-orders are live now in several configurations. Click HERE for a journey you’ll never forget.
