Neckbeards, vest-wearers, misfits, outsiders, bangers, loners, and English leather masters: your soundtrack has arrived. Dirty Vicar sounds like being lost in a bad BC neighborhood at midnight in Vancouver. The band has studied the work of our great masters like Venom, Motorhead, and Cirith Ungol. But their new EP Cursed Illumination also boasts the sleaze and working-class grit of Riot, Raven and Hirax. When those names are kicked around in comparison, good things are in store.
Decibel is happy to stream Cursed Illumination below. The songs are lean, tight, and feral, and the homespun production lets just enough light shine in to illuminate the empties from the night before. Cursed Illumination is the sound of cheap beers opening in a parking lot and hesher hosers gearing up for a weekend of bad decisions. You could watch Heavy Metal Parking Lot to get on the ground level of metal in the 80s. Or you could just listen to this EP because, in 2022, Dirty Vicar is living this shit with the same Madonna is an asshole intensity. While you listen, read a Q&A with multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Rob Hughes on how it came together.
Can you tell me a bit about the EP we premiered today and how it came together?
This EP is a continuation of our last release Higher Roads Less Travelled. The songs were all written during the same period. Back when we were organizing the previous EP, we deliberately held these five songs back for what became Cursed Illumination. We stuck to our usual working method of Kyle (Harcott, vocals) and I sending demos to each other before recording each song in its final version during winter/spring ’21/’22. We also brought in our friend Mr. Cline on bass because he knows his way around four strings.
How did you want to develop the material from the last EP, or was it a case of
“if it isn’t broken?”
We weren’t looking to make radical shifts, but we took advantage of the extra time living with these songs to hone them into what you can hear now. Each song went through a couple of drafts (music and lyrics), and I think the overall quality of the material improved a bit as a result. We recorded slightly differently, getting different guitar tones and trying new things with the drums. Who knew that miking up the toms would make a difference? Amazing!
DV gets that grimy sound of the early 80s just right. Is that conscious or just a reflection of the music you love?
It’s both. This is the kind of music we set out to make, but it’s also the sound that falls out of us naturally because of how we record. It’s always going to be messy, a little wonky. If you’re talking about the early ’80s, well, I was there. Every time you dropped the needle on a new record back then, it’d be an adventure because every band and record label had a personality. Maybe an album would sound a little thin or murky, but at least it’d feel alive and exciting. If we can convey even a tiny amount of that feeling to Dirty Vicar’s music, then we’ll have succeeded.
The hooks in these songs are terrific and every song is purposeful. Is this something you work on?
It’s the most important thing to us. Even in the space of an EP like ours, I want listeners to feel that they’ve gone somewhere. I’ve internalized that after a lifetime of listening to Queen and Rush. Every track needs its own identity, and catchiness is essential. One of Kyle’s many gifts is his way with a chorus. When I’m writing a song, I’m supremely aware that each component needs to stand on its own, but when Kyle comes back with his vocal demo, that’s when the hooks become apparent, and that’s when I know the song has what it needs to succeed.
What is next for DV?
More recording! The well of songs is deep. Releasing something on physical media is another short-term goal, as well as putting together a live lineup. We’ve made a lot of progress with that in the last year, so some jams over the winter are in order.
