V.V.I.A. released their new album I Knew You Before We Met last month on Inner Ear. We liked it so much we not only premiered a track on Diminishing Returns, we also wanted to know a bit more about the record, and this partnership between Venus Volcanism and In Atlas who are currently split between Iceland and Denmark.
You are a duo of artists creating together, how would you describe your different roles in writing and recording – do you both work on the same things or do you each have a specialty?
V.V: We both have strong opinions about how we want the composition and recording to be. We always write lyrics together and experiment with the rhythm and structure of each piece. Then, somehow, roles start to form naturally and organically.
Usually, Stine is the one who dives deeper into the technical and production aspects focusing on the texture of each sound, while I tend to focus more on the melodic side – playing around with physical instruments (theremin, synthesisers) thinking of chords, scales etc. though it’s not always strictly like that.
On I Knew You Before We Met, we were in the same space, but we worked both together and but also individually, bringing melodies, lyrics and ideas together. At the end we were keeping what sounded nice to both of us.
I.A: Yes! Normally I am more into the technical stuff (even though that’s very much not my strong side) and mostly I’m also the one making the drums, cutting things up, doing sound design etc. I feel like Rena more has the role of ”the musician” when we work together, because she actually knows how to play instruments and is the one who’s really good with harmonies and melodies. In that way, we complement each other very well.
I assume that the process of creating the new album has taken some time seeing as the first one came out in 2021. Did you start working on it in Greece? Could you describe for us how it has taken shape, especially since you now live in different countries?
V.V: Our first physical album was released in November 2021. Before that, we had other releases for compilations on cassettes and digital formats. We were ready to organize some shows alongside the release, and at that time, Stine was living in Copenhagen but came to Greece for rehearsals. Then COVID hit, bringing with it a long pause and many changes.
I later moved to Iceland, where I have been living for the past four years. Personally, I needed about two years to adjust to my new reality. Additionally, we had never written music remotely before – it wasn’t even anything we had considered. We always had the luxury of living together in some way, or at least spending long periods of time together. (In the past, Stine spent a year in Greece and then another six months – though honestly, the timelines are a bit blurry, and I’m not entirely sure of the exact periods.)
Either way, I Knew You Before We Met came so late because only then did the conditions align for us to reconnect and write music again. However, the turning point was the fact that we had to start somewhere, so we made our first attempt at writing something remotely – the track ”Over and Over” in January 2024.
After that, we decided we wanted to write music together again, so we arranged to meet in Denmark at a summer house – a cabin in the woods. There was no prior preparation, we simply had 14 days to create something. And in a way, the circumstances were not ideal. But I think that turned out to be a good thing.
We realised that in order to write music, we first had to get to know each other again, which was actually the hardest part. Imagine having just 14 days, with many setbacks, to rediscover someone from the beginning, to be yourself, and to create something that would express both of us.
I.A: While the album was made in just 10 days (not even 14), with no prior preparation, it’s still a product of not having seen each other for a very long time. So, indirectly, you could say that the process took years, as the entire theme of the album ended up being about that exact syncing with a person again after a long period of separation.
Yes, I was thinking the title suggests it is about the two of you. How did you meet and what made you decide to work together, since you both have solo projects that have their own identities? Lots of current producers seem to choose keeping their own names in collabs and just put an X in-between, rather than making it a new organic whole.
V.V: V.V.I.A., originally Venus Volcanism and In Atlas, has already been around for 10 years – predating the sounds that each of us represents today. When we first came together, we both had our own projects, but in a different form, and in a way, we were still searching for our sound.
Personally, I find musical genres very limiting, just as I’ve always found identities and roles to be restrictive. We can be many things at once. I love singing polyphonic music from around the world, traditional music, I always had a big love for synth wave post-punk music and started like that in 2011, but I also find relaxation and a sense of self in my ambient solo projects – especially now that I have been living in Iceland for 4 years in a small town 32 miles below the Arctic circle.
Initially, our name was ‘Venus Volcanism and In Atlas’, but later, for the sake of brevity, we changed it to V.V.I.A. So, to answer the question, I think we did what many solo artists do—we combined our names.
Also, for me personally, when we first came together, there was a greater focus on the project we had as a duo. My solo work emerged later, as a response to my need to keep writing music at a time when I couldn’t fulfil that need with another person.
I.A: We first met in the fall of 2015, when I moved to Athens to study. We had a mutual friend who put us in touch, and shortly after, I moved in with Rena. For me, the title of the album captures a lot of what I felt back then because it somehow felt like we already knew each other. It was just so natural! Maybe you know that kind of feeling – whether it’s romantic or purely platonic – the feeling of meeting someone and having the sense of being in the right place at the right time.
I do. However, if you could choose someone else to collaborate with in the future, who would be your dream co-producer?
V.V: The Soft Moon (Jose Luis Vasquez) but this is not a choice any longer since he unfortunately passed away last year.
I.A: Uff, good question! The first one that comes to mind is actually M.I.A. Though her style of music is more hiphop and dance-oriented than ours, she has this fiery energy and a playful approach. We’ve also danced in our living room to her song ”Borders” soo many times late at night!
I also think of the producer Sylvia Massy. She has worked with artists like Björk, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth and also Tool. She once told a story about having Tool in her studio while they were working on an album. She started wondering: “What would make the loudest sound in the world?” Her first idea was to drop a piano from a crane, but no one wanted to help her do that. So instead, they took the drummer’s shotgun and blasted the pianos in time with the music, also using sledgehammers to completely destroy the pianos – and recorded it all. She said that even if it hadn’t worked out sonically, they would still have the memory of that session forever. I think that’s a really beautiful way of seeing things: focusing more on the process than the result. And talk about a playful approach there!
I hope not all drummers have a shotgun. What do you do when you hang out casually? What other things does your friendship revolve around other than music? Do you have any shared loves/hates?
V.V: Our dynamic and what we do together outside of music has changed quite a bit, especially now that we no longer live in the same country. That shift has naturally affected our balance and priorities. In this period, our main focus when we’re together is doing things around the music which can prove hard since we don’t have the privilege of enjoying and fulfilling our friendship’s needs as before.
That said, we’ve always enjoyed simple things: going for walks, spending time in parks, dancing to new songs, going out and laughing a lot. We both love good food, a walk in the sun, and watching a movie or series to help us fall asleep after those intense days when our minds are completely overstimulated.
I.A: I think we’ve always had a lot of fun together since we’re both pretty silly by nature. We also enjoy going to concerts, museums, and other places where we can find inspiration. For me, that’s very much the city and all the chaos it holds; for Rena, it’s probably more the nature. As for the shared hate, I guess I’d have to say good old patriarchy…
What are the qualities you appreciate most in each others’ personalities?
V.V: Meeting Stine in Athens has played a significant role in shaping who I am today. First of all, she taught me not to be afraid and scared of making music! Secondly, but also very important, our meeting brought me into contact with a different culture.
Stine is powerful – she’s constantly on the move and taking action. She’s not afraid to take risks or step outside her comfort zone. She has a kind of energy that’s always in motion. She is driven. She’s methodical and organized, yet at the same time, she can be very spontaneous. She knows how to have fun and truly enjoy life. And somehow especially during the Athens period we were really synchronised.
I.A: I can only agree with Rena that meeting her has played a significant role in my life and shaped me a lot. Having had her by my side I gained greater courage, for example, when it comes to making music, because she made it fun – like having a good playmate. I also loved the fact that Rena is a true villager. She has the most beautiful view of nature, and it’s beautiful to observe how she connects with it.
Additionally, her language and the way she talks about things is very poetic, and it’s like she tastes her words or kind of weighs them, which has always fascinated me. Except when we’re talking trash Greek/English together, haha.
Was English the most natural language for you to write in, seeing as you Rena have songs in Icelandic, you Stine are Danish, and you met in Greece?
V.V: One of our first attempts at writing music was the instrumental track ”Alone With Everybody”. The title references the poem of the same name by Charles Bukowski, and our initial idea was to recite the poem in Greek and Danish.
In the end, that didn’t really work – we didn’t like the result. After that, I think without giving it too much thought, we naturally started writing lyrics in English, which felt like the most organic choice for us, as it’s also the language we use to communicate with each other.
But for the future it would be very interesting to experiment with Greek and Danish songs as well.
I.A: Yeah who knows, maybe the next album will be a mix of Greek, English, Danish, Icelandic. Actually in my solo project I have even started experimenting with glossolalia, so who knows what will happen.
If you had one day together this week to write a song, what would it be about? And would it sound different than your new album, which has a strong consistency and mood?
V.V: Considering the last time we were together, I think there might have been a specific theme in mind – but in the end, it didn’t really become the focus of the music we created. So I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about it haha.
But if we speak hypothetically, we would draw inspiration from the environment we’d be in and how we’d be feeling. Before attempting to compose, we’d probably have a conversation to find common grounds of expression. Now, whether that would actually work – I really can’t say.
I.A: I would love to make a song about madmen – the world’s so full of them!!
Speaking of the world, its current state is very distressing – how do you focus on being creative, knowing that music is not going to save us? Could music help us understand each other better, push our agendas or simply be a form of protest?
V.V: Music has many expressions – the simplest being that it’s a form of entertainment. But if one looks beyond that, what is music, and why does it exist?
Let’s ask ourselves why humans choose music to accompany them through every cycle of life. Since ancient times, people have turned their sorrows and joys into song.
Song is storytelling. All our stories – our deepest desires and our secrets – take the form of songs. That is a kind of therapy. Before humans speak, they sing. Before they write, they paint. Before they walk, they dance. Personally, I make music to save myself and to keep on feeling – to protest amidst all this madness and dystopia.
I.A: I think music can do all of them: help us understand each other better, push agendas, and work as a protest. It can also be a healer and be political at the same time – everything is political. Because of the ongoing genocide in Palestine, there have been several boycott actions in the club scene (amongst many other boycotts). Then all these people started saying ”don’t mix music and politics”, but what they don’t understand is that music and politics are connected and always have been. Club music, for example, started as a form of protest music in black and queer racialised communities and I think it’s very important to remember that.
For me personally, music is a vent for letting out my frustrations, feelings, and emotions. I hope people can sense that – and feel free to rage with me, but also hope, laugh, and cry with me so that we can also heal together.
I hope so too. Thank you!
Photos by Rat TV
