by mariah estran
photo by tati bruening
The grunge-rock duo Olive Vox are knocking down your doors and entering the alternative scene with a polarizing nostalgic sound. Think Nirvana and Alice In Chains. A celebrated sound the brothers have found themselves immersed within.
Now the two have released their self-titled debut EP, a five-track project that’s bringing listeners into that rowdy universe curated from a fascination in distortion – and it’s just the beginning. Parker James and Caden Shea will embark on upcoming tour dates while looking towards the future of creating a full-length record.
But for now, we got the chance to speak with Olive Vox about their new EP, developing their sound, working in the studio, and what it was like hitting the stage for the first time.
I want to start with what pushed you two to start making music. Y’all are familiar with dabbling in creative projects, Parker you have had some crazy traction on TikTok. But why was this the perfect time for both of you to commit to music?
Olive Vox: “Well, we’ve always been musicians before anything. Our whole family is a group of musicians. Before I even started doing TikTok, Caden and I made music together. Then, we always said, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna be in a band together.’”
In February, you two released your self-titled debut EP! What can we expect from this body of work and what is the story it is telling?
Olive Vox: “It’s going to be awesome. We have two new songs on there; ‘This Is My Home’ and ‘Denial.’ The story is just a lot of different experiences that we’ve gone through.
There’s not a consistent story between the songs — each song is a little different.”
You have released several singles, each of which carry this nostalgic 90’s grunge/rock sound. What is it about that genre that really inspired you both?
Olive Vox: “I like the distortion and how they can have this distorted guitar. Maintaining that heaviness, but also have these patchy melodies. I’ve just always been interested in that.
It’s just a very distinctive sound – it’s great.”
I’ve read reviews that compliment how you two have showcased this dynamic sound that is considered mature. While creating this EP, what was the process like producing your sound and writing each track?
Olive Vox: “I mean, it was cool, going into the studio. We recorded on tape. We went into the studio, did everything kind of old school style, played on a bunch of vintage amps. I do think that played a lot into our sound.
As far as writing, it was all behind the scenes. I would write a riff and go from there. We just had a drummer at the time. We didn’t have a band or a bass guitarist, anything like that. We went in — it was just us and the drummer. We tracked the main thing live. I did the bass and some overdubs on my guitar.”
You both have just started playing live shows, and you’re even embarking on a tour in the upcoming future. What has it been like hitting the stage for the first time and playing these tracks live?
Olive Vox: “It’s been interesting, it’s fun. Just the other day, on Valentine’s Day, we had a bunch of people pull out their flashlights, so that was pretty cool! It’s a new experience that I’ve always wanted to have. It’s good to see people reacting. It means you’re doing stuff right.”
While this is just the beginning, how do you two hope to keep transforming and growing as you continue to make music?
Olive Vox: “I feel we are going to learn how to do things — how to write songs quickly, for sure. It is just the start. I think songs will become more complex, more developed. We’ll find exactly how to do something. We’ll master it. In the future, we hope to be one of the big rock bands in the world.”