Vundabar: Who Are They?

Let’s start from the beginning. Vundabar is a Boston-based indie rock band that consists of three members: Brandon Hagen (Vocalist/guitarist), Grayson Kirtland (Bassist), and Drew McDonald (Drummer). They formed in 2012 when they were all in high school, bonding over the collective unease of being a teenager. Soon becoming best friends, they threw together some sounds on GarageBand with a few microphones and plenty of spare time. This is how their debut album Antics was released on April 24, 2013. Little did the trio know that their career is about to get started.
When Antics was released, a French blog covered the album and was so well-received that a French promoter contacted the band and netted them a European tour. This lead to them receiving a “lump sum,” in other words making them one of the rare American bands to benefit off of French arts subsidies. This uncommon occurrence allows them to explore and grow artistically without being signed to a record deal all while the promoters give them financial security.
On July 24th, 2015, Vundabar returned with their second album Gawk. They returned with a much more high-quality, post-punk sound. It was much more thoughtful as well, for the members channeled their frustrations of life into each track. They wanted to attack the concepts of alienation, identity, perception, and detachment with the help of lead Hagen’s lyrical geniousness. It was a bitter sweet moment for the boys that they leaned on each other for support and used their sophomore album as an outlet.
Their most recent comeback was on October 20, 2017 with their most recent album Smell Smoke. Hagen implements the concepts of existential thoughts and fears and anxieties about the inevitability of death and illness. He connects this with the American Dream and capitalism, ideologies we may all succumb to. Despite the morbid theme, the boys insist that the album’s supposed to be fun, and to “please have fun.”
As for now, that’s the current status of their journey. To hear their music, click on the Spotify link below!
