We had the privilege of working with Vulture Whale a few weeks back, and were so enamored with the Birmingham outfit’s rollicking brand of indie rock that we couldn’t pass up the chance to do so again today. Stream the group’s killer new LP, Aluminium, below, and check out a brief Q&A with vocalist Wes McDonald after the break.

If you dig Vulture Whale’s latest, you can snag a copy for yourself here.

What were you going for when you made Aluminium? How is it different from past records, and what do you think it says about where the band’s at stylistically?

On Aluminium, we took it one song at a time and tried to make each its own thing. When there were enough for an album, we sent it to Mark Rains—this is the fourth he’s mixed for us. We didn’t stress too much over anything; we had the Zen right where we wanted it on this one.

Tell me about the name Aluminium—what significance does it have for you? Are there any thematic threads that tie this record together?

I’ve always thought it was interesting how the British spell and say the word aluminium differently than we do in the States. It’s one of those words that’s a bit of a tongue twister, too. So, aluminium has a lot going for it on many levels. Say it out loud a few times. It’s like a really curvy, voluptuous, beautiful woman of the word world. The album is named for the song. It’s more of a semantic thing than a theme.

Do you feel Vulture Whale’s sound has been influenced by the Birmingham scene?

We just want to do something exciting. I guess that’s what Vulture Whale really wants. We want people to be excited about it. And we want to be excited about it. We don’t do boring. We don’t do well in coffee houses. We want you to smile. We want you to pump your fist. We want you to spill your beer and say, “fuck yeah!”

This is Vulture Whale’s first release since 2011. What emotions coincide with releasing something after a five-year break?

Dude, we’re coming up on our 10-year anniversary next year! We’re excited to be in a rock band. It is the funnest thing I know of. We want to play. Call us. We don’t care who you are. We’ll come tear the roof off of your joint! You’ll be glad we did. Oh, and we need a booking agent! Seriously.

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Kyle Florence

Kyle Florence is a proud Wisconsinite, a dinosaur enthusiast, and a lover of all things weird and whacky.

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