The two released mini-albums have now been supplemented by the release of the first album Two Of Us. On it, she moved to a more predatory sound, strengthened the melodic lines, and in addition to the great instrumental performances, Tevi, a native of the Pacific island of Vanuatu, also shines. That place gave the band its name.
“Most of the songs were created during the pandemic. We didn’t feel much optimism then,” explained Tevi. That state is captured in the songs Come Together, which he put on the Radiožurnál broadcast, and In Front Of You. They are about the setting of society at that time, about how the political representation took restrictive steps, which primarily led to the consolidation of its position.
“We felt cheated by the politicians,” stated Tevi. “Personally, what surprised me the most was how massively there was vaccination in the Czech Republic and in the world against a virus about which so little was known. Here in Vanuatu, the approach to treatment is completely different. European medicines are dry, here everything is solved in a natural way. We have herbs for everything, we also help each other with shamanic rituals,” he added.
He pointed out that he cannot maintain such a relationship with his health in the Czech Republic, because the herbs that grow in Vanuatu cannot be found here. Nevertheless, he feels at home here, he has a family and a band in Nymburk.
“The original vision was that we would release a vinyl album with Enthic producing the A-side songs and Adam Krofian, the frontman of The Atavists, for the B-side. But then we found out that we wouldn’t have time to release the vinyl at the same time as the digital issue, and the whole concept couldn’t be transferred to a CD, because it doesn’t have two sides. So we changed the intention and a coherent material began to emerge. In addition to the two named songs, Boris Carloff, Roman Helcl and Steve Walsh also produced the songs. Enthic then united them sonically,” stated bassist Vojtěch Říha.
In the song Two Of Us, Tevi sings a duet with Žofi í Dares from the band Mydy. “Vojta and I were invited to the songwriting camp of the BrainZone publishing house. Usually not everyone from the band goes there, just some, because the purpose is to compose there with other musicians. They drew us into a group with Žofi and one American producer. However, he did not arrive. In the house where the camp was held, producer Enthic has a studio, so we knocked on his door and asked him if he would like to work with us. The song Two Of Us was created in half a day,” explained Tevi.
When asked what Vanua2’s music should give listeners, he answered: “I want to convey positive thoughts and attitudes as I perceive them as an author. Music is an excellent tool for that.”
Říh’s attitude is a little different. “I make music because I enjoy it. Actually, for a purely selfish reason. I realized this when Radim Hladík told me that music is something that a person does primarily for himself. And when they reach out to someone, it’s something extra,” he concluded.
