RVG

Australian rock band RVG, or Romy Vager Group, rose out of the Melbourne suburbs in the latter half of the 2010s, blending lush jangling guitar pop with elements of wiry post-punk, goth, and ’80s college rock. They earned acclaim for their rousing 2017 debut album, A Quality of Mercy, and later signed with Fire Records to release the 2020 follow-up Feral. After some time away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RVG returned in 2023 with their tumultuously dreamy third LP, Brain Worms. Formed in 2015 in the Melbourne suburb of Preston by singer/songwriter and Adelaide native Romy Vager, the band followed a trail set by forebears like the Go-Betweens, the Soft Boys, and the Psychedelic Furs. While her earlier bands were heavier and more cathartic, with RVG, Vager found the middle ground where tuneful and sophisticated songcraft meets the loose spontaneity of punk and garage. Their 2017 eight-song debut, A Quality of Mercy, was recorded live by the band with no audience inside a Melbourne rock club called the Tote. Returning in early 2020 on the Fire label, RVG delivered their sophomore set, Feral, which was produced by Victor Van Vugt (PJ Harvey, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds). Third album Brain Worms was produced with James Trevascus at London’s Snap Studios. Some songs were tracked with an acoustic guitar once owned by Kate Bush, and its texture fit nicely in the album’s blend of tense post-punk and glossy synth pop. ~ Timothy Monger