The RVMES - pronounced ‘the rooms’, from ‘rum and tunes’ - are a new four-piece outfit based in Auckland, made of Edwin Judd (vocals, guitar), Miro Gibson (guitar), Ronaldo Lima (bass), and Logan Fox (drums). Their debut single, Vibrant Pictures, is the delicious first taste of their EP planned for release in February 2019.
Self recorded and produced, Vibrant Pictures drops right away into a smooth old school groove. It’s a song that’s catchy from the first listen, weaving several hooks into the texture from the beginning. Edwin Judd’s delivery is understated and cruisy perfectly controlled, and his voice has a warm jazzy husk to it. Guitar solos and lead licks feature heavily, with multiple subtle effects adding up to a gently psychedelic feel.
The RVMES write songs quickly, using jam sessions to pull together and develop ideas, and at five minutes long, Vibrant Pictures almost takes the air of a well aged and refined jam. Each band member shines at different points in the song and the four come together as a remarkably cohesive unit - particularly Lima on bass and Fox on drums, who are so much on each other’s level it’s as if just one musician is playing the entire rhythm section.
The first day of summer feels like the perfect day to release such a simultaneously upbeat and chilled out single. If everything they write can so easily take the listener to another place like this, the RVMES’ EP will become a Kiwi summer essential.
The RVMES (pronounced 'The Rooms') are a fiercely independent alternative rock band from Auckland known for their energetic live shows and slight boundary issues when it comes to genre.