Pvris are a three-way partnership between vocalist Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, guitarist Alex Babinski and bassist Brian MacDonald. Last year, the band teamed up with producer Blake Harnage (Versa/VersaEmerge) to give life to their debut album,White Noise.
The record came out in November, and it’s been go, go, go ever since. This week, the tireless rockers arrive on Australian shores for the first time. They haven’t had a moment’s rest during the last 18 months, but they ain’t complaining.
“This is the most touring we’ve done since we first started out,” Gunnulfsen says. “It’s gruelling, but I feel like we kind of adapted to it and we’re getting used to it. We got our touring schedule for the next year and a half and the only month we’re free is in December. It’s kind of daunting, but we’ve already adapted to it and just gotten used to it – or figured out how to enjoy being away from home as much as we are.”
Pvris formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2012 and gained prominence on the local scene almost immediately. With the release of their debut EP,Paris,in March 2013, they eclipsed the confines of their hometown and haven’t looked back since. From the outset, they had no scruples about shooting for the stars.
“Our whole mindset with music or anything we do is if you have the opportunity to go as far as you can possibly go, you should absolutely aim for that, but you shouldn’t expect that,” says Gunnulfsen. “So we don’t expect to be the biggest band in the world. We never expected to have all the opportunities and all this hype and amazing feedback on the record that we’ve gotten, but we wanted that.”
To casual observers, it might seem likeWhite Noisesprung forth with very little lead-up. However, given the band had released music as far back as late 2012, there was a decent cultivation period.
“It felt like a long time,” Gunnulfsen says. “We all had to earn our stripes and pay our dues and play local shows to like ten people and work full-time jobs. The two years prior to having the record out, we were always hustling and just working hard to even make this a possibility. Now it’s finally paying off. To other people it seems like this happened out of nowhere, but we’ve been working hard since day one and busting our asses.”
Co-written by Gunnulfsen and Harnage,White Noiseis a good representation of not only the band’s diverse influences, but also a growing eclecticism in the tastes of the average listener. The record manages to intertwine everything from electropop and alternative rock to pop-punk, and it also contains moments of soulful delicacy. Gunnulfsen says the genre merging isn’t particularly contrived.
“I feel like it’s a natural thing and a subconscious thing that just kind of happens. Our main focus is just making music that we would want to listen to and music that we’re proud of and music that we’re happy with. That’s the ultimate goal, and I think by doing that and not feeling pressured to fit into a category or appeal to a certain audience, it brings the best out of your music. By just vibing off something and doing whatever you want, it makes it speak for itself.”
White Noisecame out courtesy of Rise Records. Having the support of an influential and well-regarded label is invaluable. Plus, the label didn’t attempt to steer Pvris’ songwriting in any direction.
“Rise is actually completely hands-off with the creative process. They literally just were like, ‘Right. You’re in the studio from this time until this time. Whatever you hand in is what we’re going to work with.’ Which is super cool. I don’t think they were expecting what we handed in to them but they definitely were shocked in the best way.”
Pvris’ core trio will be joined by a live drummer at the forthcoming Australian shows. Carrying out a heavy touring schedule means spending a lot of time in each other’s faces. Inevitably, this leads to minor conflicts, but the trick is to not be too sensitive.
“I feel like we’re all just like siblings,” says Gunnulfsen. “Brian and Alex are my brothers and then the rest of our crew are all like older brothers and sisters. You’re forced to live with these people whether you like it or not. I feel like the ultimate thing is communication. If you argue with someone or get on someone’s nerves, you just go out and say it and get it out of the way, and that way you can get over it and move forward. A big thing that keeps us all sane and keeps us happy is we’re all huge goofballs and we’re always playing pranks on each other or laughing at stupid stuff. “Laughter and just being positive is another huge thing.”
Pvris’ debut Australian tour involves just a brief run of shows down the east coast, but they’ll get in front of some big crowds playing alongside Philadelphian alt-rockers Circa Survive. “We’re excited to visit, we’re excited to see the Circa guys play,” says Gunnulfsen. “We’re excited to just see Australia because we’ve never been before. It’s one of the places we all really want to visit, so we finally get to with an awesome band as well.”
White Noise is out now through Rise/Warner. Catch Pvris, supporting Circa Survive, at the Metro Theatre on Saturday September 19.
