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Track by Track:
Vintage Crop - Serve To Serve Again
Vintage Crop - Serve To Serve Again
Pragmatic and lined with hooks, Geelong quartet Vintage Crop returned last week with Serve to Serve Again - replete with a familiar diatribe, the groups third full length effort refines surrealist storytelling with an established brand of angular post-punk.
Ranging topics of class, privilege and capitalist gain, we had Vintage Crop walk us through the wider themes surrounding Serve to Serve Again - out now via Anti Fade Records.
Ranging topics of class, privilege and capitalist gain, we had Vintage Crop walk us through the wider themes surrounding Serve to Serve Again - out now via Anti Fade Records.
It’s been over four years since Jack Cherry unravelled the chaotic innocence of Coming Up - the first release under the now revelled Vintage Crop that has come to define the groups flustered brand of angular punk. With a sardonic polemic against capitalist structures, Vintage Crop have established their sound through angered performance and a knack for infectious rhythm. After touting their frustrations across two full length albums and the conceptual Company Man EP, Vintage Crop have returned with Serve to Serve Again - their most pragmatic album to date that snapshots an honest look into contemporary living.
Observing life’s prejudice through inherent beliefs and stigmas, Serve to Serve Again explores issues of class disparity and privilege from an unassuming onlooker. Not dissimilar to last year’s Company Man EP, Vintage Crop examine motifs of capitalist living through glutinous character portraits - taking the mundane and looking further through it, Vintage Crop snark at the systems they operate within. Self-aware and sardonic, Serve to Serve Again finds a comprehensive voice across 12 tracks - each fitted with refrains that morph into mantras, the album finds Vintage Crop with their catchiest and most considered set of tracks yet.
Delving deeper into the themes surrounding Serve to Serve Again, we had Jack, Tyson, Luke and Tyler talk us through the meaning behind each of the tracks below.
Observing life’s prejudice through inherent beliefs and stigmas, Serve to Serve Again explores issues of class disparity and privilege from an unassuming onlooker. Not dissimilar to last year’s Company Man EP, Vintage Crop examine motifs of capitalist living through glutinous character portraits - taking the mundane and looking further through it, Vintage Crop snark at the systems they operate within. Self-aware and sardonic, Serve to Serve Again finds a comprehensive voice across 12 tracks - each fitted with refrains that morph into mantras, the album finds Vintage Crop with their catchiest and most considered set of tracks yet.
Delving deeper into the themes surrounding Serve to Serve Again, we had Jack, Tyson, Luke and Tyler talk us through the meaning behind each of the tracks below.
First in Line
Tyson Harper: I very clearly remember thinking of the privilege of being first in line when I was getting off a train in Parliament Station, watching everyone pace frantically from the train to the escalator, I then saw someone who’d watched this unfold as I did. This person had then taken poll position on the escalator and smiled down towards the business men and women who had to wait, beginning to fidget because their pace again was out of their control. I had no idea why this person felt so satisfied with momentarily controlling everyone’s escalator journey but it was in that control that I saw the privilege of being first and a need to recognise opportunities when they arise in front of you. You best give it your all or at least make it your moment when you get the chance to ride that escalator. It might not happen again.
The Ladder
Jack Cherry: This song was one of the first fully finished songs for the album, it was one that came to me almost fully formed. I had the chords and almost all of the lyrics down in an hour or two, the only part that took a while were the lyrics in the little jam part at the end. I played with so many different ideas before landing on the final lyrics, they’re less about literal incest and more about the idea of people who are willing to do anything to protect their reputation but simultaneously have no respect for the people who attribute them their reputation.
The North
Jack Cherry: This riff crawled through our collective head for like 2 years, we never knew how to make it a song because it’s such an uneven riff. I wrote most of the lyrics on my birthday in 2019 after throwing up a big plate of pasta in Lugano, Switzerland. I was sick & very tired for a short while overseas and I experienced true coldness.
Tyson Harper: I very clearly remember thinking of the privilege of being first in line when I was getting off a train in Parliament Station, watching everyone pace frantically from the train to the escalator, I then saw someone who’d watched this unfold as I did. This person had then taken poll position on the escalator and smiled down towards the business men and women who had to wait, beginning to fidget because their pace again was out of their control. I had no idea why this person felt so satisfied with momentarily controlling everyone’s escalator journey but it was in that control that I saw the privilege of being first and a need to recognise opportunities when they arise in front of you. You best give it your all or at least make it your moment when you get the chance to ride that escalator. It might not happen again.
The Ladder
Jack Cherry: This song was one of the first fully finished songs for the album, it was one that came to me almost fully formed. I had the chords and almost all of the lyrics down in an hour or two, the only part that took a while were the lyrics in the little jam part at the end. I played with so many different ideas before landing on the final lyrics, they’re less about literal incest and more about the idea of people who are willing to do anything to protect their reputation but simultaneously have no respect for the people who attribute them their reputation.
The North
Jack Cherry: This riff crawled through our collective head for like 2 years, we never knew how to make it a song because it’s such an uneven riff. I wrote most of the lyrics on my birthday in 2019 after throwing up a big plate of pasta in Lugano, Switzerland. I was sick & very tired for a short while overseas and I experienced true coldness.
No Praise
Tyler O’Brien: 'No Praise' was written about being in a rut and refusing to do anything about it. It’s being stubborn about change but knowing you have to make a change about how you are living.
Jack’s Casino
Jack Cherry: This was one of the last songs to be written before recording the album. I wanted a fast song for the record, and it fell out of me really quickly once I knew what I was going for. That slow riff in the middle is my favourite part of the entire album. This song is about slowing down, appreciating what’s in front of you while it’s there. Everyone’s busy, everyone’s got somewhere to be but don’t let that take over your life. Take time, make time.
Streetview
Jack Cherry: The centrepiece of the album, this song was recorded in 1 take. We didn’t overdub anything, we didn’t change anything; that 4 minute jam is Vintage Crop. When you view people’s houses on Google Maps’ Streetview you can only see the outside of their house. This song is about the generalisations that you can make from looking at the outside of someone’s house without ever really knowing the people who live inside.
Serve To Serve Again
Jack Cherry: This song took a long time to arrange, we wanted it to sound interesting and fresh so we spent a lot of time playing with different ideas and experimenting with sounds. In the end, it sounded better when we played it straight-forward and simple. It’s the first Vintage Crop song to be written on keyboard. The lyrics in this song are loaded with computer references but is generally in favour of human warmth. Human error is more charming than computer excellence, and to me that is the crux of the entire album. Throughout the album we talk about acknowledging identity & subsequently acknowledging flaws in personality, but that’s the charm of life; growing as a person and serving to serve again.
Tyler O’Brien: 'No Praise' was written about being in a rut and refusing to do anything about it. It’s being stubborn about change but knowing you have to make a change about how you are living.
Jack’s Casino
Jack Cherry: This was one of the last songs to be written before recording the album. I wanted a fast song for the record, and it fell out of me really quickly once I knew what I was going for. That slow riff in the middle is my favourite part of the entire album. This song is about slowing down, appreciating what’s in front of you while it’s there. Everyone’s busy, everyone’s got somewhere to be but don’t let that take over your life. Take time, make time.
Streetview
Jack Cherry: The centrepiece of the album, this song was recorded in 1 take. We didn’t overdub anything, we didn’t change anything; that 4 minute jam is Vintage Crop. When you view people’s houses on Google Maps’ Streetview you can only see the outside of their house. This song is about the generalisations that you can make from looking at the outside of someone’s house without ever really knowing the people who live inside.
Serve To Serve Again
Jack Cherry: This song took a long time to arrange, we wanted it to sound interesting and fresh so we spent a lot of time playing with different ideas and experimenting with sounds. In the end, it sounded better when we played it straight-forward and simple. It’s the first Vintage Crop song to be written on keyboard. The lyrics in this song are loaded with computer references but is generally in favour of human warmth. Human error is more charming than computer excellence, and to me that is the crux of the entire album. Throughout the album we talk about acknowledging identity & subsequently acknowledging flaws in personality, but that’s the charm of life; growing as a person and serving to serve again.
Gridlock
Tyson Harper: The first song I put together for this LP, the idea of being stuck in the middle of a gridlock had come from our trips to Melbourne to play or to see our friends shows. Luke came up with the main riff that’s played through the verse and so I built the song around that. It didn’t take long for everyone to click on this one as we were all eager to write some new stuff and the riff was just that catchy.
Life & Times
Jack Cherry: One of the rockers from this album, it came together very easily because it feels like a VC song. I was aiming for a big chorus, something that screams “stadium rock” but still feels like a garage band. It feels like a song that we might have written for the first album and it’s nice that it still has a place on our third. This song is about living with the influence of others, and working out who you want to be. You have to decide who to listen to and who to believe. It’s your life.
Just My Luck
Luke O’Brien: This was actually the first riff and song that I ever wrote. Back in 2017 when I was first learning guitar I only knew a handful of Vintage Crop songs because I was helping Tyler practice drums for a show. I wasn’t actually a member of the band at the time. I ended up using a similar chord shape to 'Headache' and changing the key, then I just made the song faster and slapped some lyrics on it.
Tension
Tyson Harper: This was the last song I had in for Serve to Serve Again, I had the verse lyrics for this song long before I even thought of playing it live. It was a collection of experiences I hold close that had tied in with these lyrics and became relevant in more than one place in my life. That being said, I felt the theme of the song was relatable enough that I could work it into something for the Crop. The opening riff came from just jamming in my bedroom, so I was doing demos for that at least one day before I took it to the band to finish it off. The ending of the song didn’t have lyrics until the day of recording, I came up with those in the studio while Jack was recording his vocals for Jack’s Casino.
Everyday Heroes
Luke O’Brien: The main lyric theme of this song comes from the game Life Is Strange, which I was playing at the time. I wrote the song purely as an excuse to put this lead riff I had been working on into a song. I wanted to write a slower song with an interesting structure compared to the stuff I usually write. I reckon it turned out better than I expected in the end.
Tyson Harper: The first song I put together for this LP, the idea of being stuck in the middle of a gridlock had come from our trips to Melbourne to play or to see our friends shows. Luke came up with the main riff that’s played through the verse and so I built the song around that. It didn’t take long for everyone to click on this one as we were all eager to write some new stuff and the riff was just that catchy.
Life & Times
Jack Cherry: One of the rockers from this album, it came together very easily because it feels like a VC song. I was aiming for a big chorus, something that screams “stadium rock” but still feels like a garage band. It feels like a song that we might have written for the first album and it’s nice that it still has a place on our third. This song is about living with the influence of others, and working out who you want to be. You have to decide who to listen to and who to believe. It’s your life.
Just My Luck
Luke O’Brien: This was actually the first riff and song that I ever wrote. Back in 2017 when I was first learning guitar I only knew a handful of Vintage Crop songs because I was helping Tyler practice drums for a show. I wasn’t actually a member of the band at the time. I ended up using a similar chord shape to 'Headache' and changing the key, then I just made the song faster and slapped some lyrics on it.
Tension
Tyson Harper: This was the last song I had in for Serve to Serve Again, I had the verse lyrics for this song long before I even thought of playing it live. It was a collection of experiences I hold close that had tied in with these lyrics and became relevant in more than one place in my life. That being said, I felt the theme of the song was relatable enough that I could work it into something for the Crop. The opening riff came from just jamming in my bedroom, so I was doing demos for that at least one day before I took it to the band to finish it off. The ending of the song didn’t have lyrics until the day of recording, I came up with those in the studio while Jack was recording his vocals for Jack’s Casino.
Everyday Heroes
Luke O’Brien: The main lyric theme of this song comes from the game Life Is Strange, which I was playing at the time. I wrote the song purely as an excuse to put this lead riff I had been working on into a song. I wanted to write a slower song with an interesting structure compared to the stuff I usually write. I reckon it turned out better than I expected in the end.
Serve To Serve Again is out via Anti Fade Records - head to vintagecrop.bandcamp.com to nab one of the last copies of the album on 12" vinyl.
