Dutch band SVAUN offer up a deliciously catchy blend of psych and stoner rock that aims to carry an element of sex appeal in a sound they describe as “raw, dark and sensual.”
The Arnhem band started out as the solo project of vocalist Svan Janssen before building out into a full band. SVAUN draws inspiration from the Palm Desert Scene, a hard rock or desert rock sound that emerged from Palm Desert, a city in California’s Coachella Valley, in the 1990s. The scene drew on elements of heavy metal, grunge, punk, blues and grunge with a propensity for jammy, sludgy grooves and heavy collaboration between band members.
SVAUN draw on those inspirations to offer up an enthralling fusion of filthy riffs, engaging vocals and some electronic elements. As band member Dennis van Wijlick tells us: “We deliver a unique blend of psych and stoner rock. But don’t be fooled by our heaviness; SVAUN’s music is also infused with a certain sex appeal, a sultry and mysterious quality that adds an alluring edge.”
Our latest taste of this is Liar’s Dice, which was released last month. It opens up with wild high-pitched guitar notes that drop into cool stabbing guitars and a laid-back chorus led by high-pitched vocals. The guitars gradually creep back in alongside building backing vocals, before a section of echoey vocals tee up a return of the stabbing guitars and a funky little high-pitched guitar lick. Another mellow but slightly sinister verse ends with cries of “I crave the violence,” before cool descending guitars and a wild scream see it intensify. Engaging vocals take over, and a funky little lick gives way to stabbing guitars and a meandering guitar solo. Everything drops out briefly, setting up a piercing guitar solo brings the track to a superb conclusion.
On the track, Dennis told us: “Liar’s Dice is our newest creation; it’s a song about manipulation, ghosts, silence, violence and liars. The tune is slow and muddy but also carries a certain sweetness with it. The vocals are mostly calm and insecure but nevertheless, expect some brutal screams too. The song is like a story that’s been told by a lunatic, and includes a wacky guitar extravaganza at the end.”
That track follows on from a couple of EPs in the last two years, including last year’s Such Venom All U Narcotics. The EP includes a personal favourite track I Ain’t So Ready, which opens up with high-pitched vocals over a brooding riff that explodes into a fun fast-paced riff joined by crashing cymbals and a higher-pitched guitar to set up a cracking track that you can check out in the stream below. We also love the sound of Dutch van der Linde from their first EP Whatever U Are So Fond Of, and these two EPs are packed with desert rock goodness.
The SVAUN sound has been inspired by the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality, Kyuss and, in Dennis’ words, “almost everything that floats out of the desert.” And he tells us Sven writes about topics like loss, being lost in love, addiction, psychosis and mindfulness.
There’s plenty more to come from SVAUN, who will be releasing two more singles in the next few months and have plans to record their debut album later this year.
You can follow SVAUN on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp and Apple Music.
GigRadar 