Brisbane metalcore outfit UNI/VS have offered up their latest single A Chosen Death and accompanied the news with the announcement of their A Chosen Death Australian Tour that will run across the East Coast through October and November.
Their first release of the year, A Chosen Death is a ripping return from the quartet, moving through chugging moments, violent vocals and passionate cleans to balance. The latest single explores life post-pandemic, and analyzes the increasingly unhinged and polarised views being fed to the public through traditional media.
The four-piece will launch their new single live at five dates across Australia this October and November. Presented by Stronghold Booking and joined by special guests st.sinner, the tour will move through The Valley Loft in Brisbane on October 4, The Burdekin Hotel in Sydney on October 12, La La La’s in Wollongong on October 13, Laundry Bar in Melbourne on November 2 and will wrap at Crown & Anchor in Adelaide on November 3. Tickets on sale now.
HEAVY sat down with UNI/VS to chat about their latest single, what to expect on the upcoming tour and their plans moving forward.
HEAVY: Welcome back! We’re so excited to hear some new music from you and to see some tour dates in the calendar – for the uninitiated, could you introduce UNI/VS? How would you describe your music in three words?
UNI/VS: UNI/VS is Scott Willis (vocals), Michael Ryan (guitar/vocals), Nik Sudweeks (drums) and Shaw Schmidt (bass). We formed in Brisbane in 2017, fuelled by a relentless passion, uncompromising sound, and an unwavering commitment to our craft. We have travelled around Australia touring with the likes of Volumes (US), Gravemind, Patient Sixty-Seven, Crooked Royals (NZ) and more, and can’t wait to get back out on the road with new music to share.
In three words: Energetic, Melodic and Passionate.
H: Your new single A Chosen Death is out everywhere now, could you tell us a little about it?
UN: A Chosen Death was brought to fruition through a deep look into our post-pandemic world and the increasingly unhinged and polarised views being fed to the public through traditional media. It poses the question ‘Can we really trust the narrative of our elected leaders or that of whomever is pulling their strings?’. We hope to invite critical thought and observation as well as hope that if we all speak our truth things may get better.
H: Who did you work with on the production side of things? How long did it take to craft this new one?
UN: All of UNI/VS collection of music has been produced by Gareth Hargraves. We often refer to him as the 5th member of the band. Our styles gel together very well, and we always seem to create something that both UNI/VS and Gareth are proud of. A Chosen Death only took a few weeks to punch out and was actually one of the quicker songs we put together. Historically, we would go away for a writing weekend somewhere in the mountains and write the backbone of the songs, then sit on them for a few months and tweak them along the way.
H: You mention the song focuses on a post-pandemic world, how did the pandemic impact the band? And what changes have you noticed on a global scale?
UN: Like pretty much every band across the world, we definitely took a hit from all angles when covid hit. Our first headline tour around Australia & first international shows all got cancelled in this period, which was heartbreaking to say the least. It felt like all the hard work we had put in for the 3 years prior to covid just slammed us into a wall. The whole band’s motivation dropped to almost nothing, and I’m sure there was a time where every member felt like calling it a day. It literally took us years to pull back into gear and get back to being able to comfortably book a headlining tour in Australia. All in all, I think UNI/VS, along with a lot of other bands who held on during covid, came out the other side stronger.
The main changes we have seen in the music industry is how people consume and digest music. The pandemic really opened the doors for online marketing. This has made the pathway to success a lot different than it used to be. It seems to be a bit of a blessing and a curse, as you can really get traction with a band creating content from your home, but also get lost in the mix as there is so much more content being created and consumed. As a band, none of us are social media personalities or experts, but we are finding enjoyment in giving new things a go to really create an online brand and experience for our fan base, as well as keeping our live performances dialed in. We are looking forward to seeing the next 6 – 12 months through!
H: This new track is the first since you released your Something More EP last year, does this track mark the first of a few to come? What elements set this single apart from previous ones?
UN: A Chosen Death will likely stay as a stand-alone single, but we do have a collection of tracks we are working on in the background. A Chosen Death is kind of left field from most of our work, especially our latest EP Something More. That EP was a very dark and mysterious sounding release with a lot of electronic sections that helped mold the sound, where A Chosen Death is a faster pace with almost a rock feel to it.
H: For those who have never listened to UNI/VS, where would you recommend people start? What song encapsulates UNI/VS best in your opinion?
UN: There are a couple of songs that we feel are definitely “our sound” but honestly, just listen to our latest EP Something More. We feel it’s a great collection of songs that take pieces from our work from over the years, and we think we created something very much “us” with that EP. Another couple of tracks that we would suggest are Hell/Me (from the Smile EP) and singles Ghost of Me and Sabouture.
H: Are there any bands/artists that have influenced you this year? Who are you listening to currently?
UN: As a band, we all listen to a large range of music. From lighter acts like Novo Amor to Paleface & Kublai Khan. But if we were to pick the bands that have helped mold our sound lately they would be BMTH, Sleep Token, Erra, and Volumes.
H: You head on tour in October, what can fans expect from these shows?
UN: We are working very hard in the background to dial in our live performance. We aim to give the tightest show and to create a set list to give the audience an awesome night of Meltalcore.
H: Do you have a pre-show ritual? And what’s your favourite thing about performing live?
UN: We don’t really have a pre-show ritual, we just show up and try to put on the best show we can and are just happy to be there haha.
The best thing about performing live is you don’t really get that feeling doing anything else in life. Even if we don’t play our best, it always creates a memory we will never forget. When we go on tour, those feelings just amplify. We also refer to it as ‘Our Poker Trip’. Touring creates a space for us to kind of step away from our busy lives outside of music. The countless laughs in the van and getting to see places you probably wouldn’t have seen if you weren’t driving across the country in a tour van are all extra factors that make touring so enjoyable.
H: After finishing the year strong, what’s the plan for 2024? Will see more music from you?
UN: Once we finish this tour it will be back on the grind for us, we have learnt from covid that you can’t slow down. We will be aiming to finish these new tracks and jump on a few tours next year and really work on developing our sound and UNI/VS as a whole. We are very excited for 2025!
Thanks for chatting with HEAVY!
