Melbourne punk-rock firebrand Ecca Vandal has recently released her debut album, a self-titled affair combining disparate influences with a street-smart DIY ethos.
The album has come together over the course of a year, with Ecca at one point scrapping everything she had written and starting again from scratch. “I had a bunch of songs that I thought were going to be on the record,” Ecca explains.
“Upon reflecting and really digging deep and wondering if it's representing who I am, I came to the realisation that it just wasn't the right thing.
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"So I actually scrapped those songs and started again, and then over the past year I've really dug deep to write a bunch of new songs.”
For Ecca, it was of the utmost importance that her first full-length release be an astute representation of who she is as an artist and the path she's taken to get where she is today.
“I needed to do that and the new vision became [that]. I want this to represent where I'm at right now and over the past year, and I want it to represent who I am and where I come from,” she says.
“I think it has happened, I think it has reflected everything I've come from sonically speaking, where my roots are from and the music I love now. It expresses a few different sounds, emotions and moods, so I'm happy with the fact it's reflecting that.”
The release of her album comes at a crucial juncture in Ecca's career. More than a year on from her debut EP, Ecca says there was obvious pressure for this release to be a grand statement on her artistry.
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“There is a lot of expectation and a lot of talk that goes on, people get in your ear telling you about this pressure. But to be honest I spent the past six months especially trying to forget that and trying to unhear [sic] it, if that makes sense,” she says.
“Because I didn't want to put that pressure on myself. I wanted this record to be me, to be authentically me and not be something that I've contrived because somebody told me it needs to be a certain way or needs to reach a certain expectation.”
Born in apartheid-era South Africa to Sri Lankan parents, Ecca carries with her a diverse palette of musical influences including jazz, hip hop and, of course, punk.
“When I sat down to write my originals I didn't want to restrict myself to any particular style or genre, I wanted to see what came out,” she says, “and what came out was a mash-up of all of these sounds; I guess they'd been marinating there for a while.”
In November, Ecca takes the album on the road for a national tour and says audiences can look forward to brand new, never-before-seen show. “It's really exciting for me and therefore I think it's going to be exciting for people who have come to an Ecca Vandal show before because it's a completely new show,” she says.
“It's got a whole bunch of new material from the record that we're playing live for the first time. We're currently working out the setlist... which is a very exciting process but it's tricky and it's going to be a high-energy show from the looks of it at the moment.”
Ecca Vandal's self-titled album is available now. She also tours as part of Falls Festival 17/18.
Ecca Vandal Shows
Fri 3 Nov - Fremantle Town HallSat 4 Nov - Rocket Bar (Adelaide)
Thu 9 Nov - Cambridge Small Room (Newcastle)
Fri 10 Nov - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Sat 11 Nov - Rad Bar (Wollongong)
Thu 16 Nov - Shark Bar (Gold Coast)
Fri 17 Nov - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 18 Nov - The Brightside (Brisbane)
Fri 24 Nov - Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Sat 25 Nov - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
