Bella Venutti describes IV League's music as pop that’s “sort of grunged up and rolled in dirt a little bit”.
But you wouldn’t suspect angelic-sounding Bella to be rolling in any kind of dirt.
Bella started IV League, named after her initials Isabella Venutti, two years ago originally as a two-piece with Lachlan Gilmour in Melbourne. “We basically started writing the music as a two-piece and we thought we were going to play with backing tracks; it was kind of a different vibe and sound back then.
“Even with our first two shows, we had a drummer play with us and then we added a bass player,” Bella says. “It’s kind of been a rockier sound ever since we've played as a four-piece.”
IV League will venture out of Melbourne for the very first time on an Australian tour to promote their newest single, 'Sylvia'. “We've kind of held off of playing it live a little bit because we wanted to able to kind of give it a good debut launch.
“I think so far I'm really happy with people's reaction to ['Sylvia'] and I think I probably couldn't be more pleased. We've had some really great reception from Triple J Unearthed who have helped us out a bunch and generally from peers,” Bella says.
The 20-something says the song was written as an ode to the really strong friendships you develop when you’re in high school. “There's like a funny little reference to Sylvia Plath in there, because my friends and I in high school were really obsessed with her poetry and it's kind of like a play on that.
“I think there's the quote in a Woody Allen movie about 'the college girl mentality of romanticising Sylvia Plath' and so I kind decided to embrace that,” Bella says.
Earlier this year the the band played Melbourne’s Laneway Festival, a goal they were surprised to have achieved so quickly. “When Lachy and I started the band, that was our ultimate goal and to have achieved it pretty quickly down the track is just insane,” Bella says.
After this tour, IV League are hoping to return to the studio to work on concepts they’ve wanted to explore for awhile. “I think it would be a good opportunity to explore not just writing up-beat pop songs.
“It would be great to have the room and depth to explore some slower numbers and get a really great collection of tracks together that kind of summarise where we've come from and where we're at now,” Bella says.
– written by Emily Oswin
IV League Shows
Sat 22 Apr - Yah Yah’s (Melbourne)Fri 28 Apr - The Workers Club (Geelong)
Wed 3 May - Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Fri 5 May - Northcote Social Club (Melbourne)
Sat 6 May - Jive Bar (Adelaide)
Thu 18 May - The Foundry (Brisbane)
Thu 25 May - Hudson Ballroom (Sydney)
Fri 26 May - Rad Bar (Wollongong)
