London’s PVA have announced their signing to Ninja Tune’s taste-maker label Big Dada (Young Fathers, Kae Tempest, Roots Manuva etc.). Ella, Josh and Louis said of their decision: “We are really over the moon to be joining the Ninja family. The music that has come from the label is incredible and includes some of our favourite releases. We’re very happy to now be a part of it.”
They also share a new track, Talks, that marks the much-anticipated follow-up to their debut single, Divine Intervention, which saw play-listing at 6 Music alongside deserved international press support – perhaps captured most succinctly with an excitable “God, it’s good” from The Guardian.
Listen to Talks via SoundCloud below.
Talks is the insistent, propulsive first release from their debut EP for Big Dada, ‘Toner,’ which will land November 20th digitally and on 12″ vinyl (pre-order here)
The mercurial Dan Carey (black midi, Bat For Lashes, Fontaines D.C.) has worked with the band once more on production duties.
As well as featuring three new tracks – Talks, Sleek Form, Exhaust / Surroundings – the EP also features remixes from Mura Masa, an early fan of the trio, Lynks and Daniel Fox of Girl Band.
Of the new single, producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Josh Baxter says: “Talks is about how we invent games in order to avoid expressing our true feelings or take the risk of being hurt. The song also takes inspiration from real relationships and the fictional relationship between John & Abigail Marston (the two main characters in video game Red Dead Redemption).”
‘Toner’ EP track list
1. Talks
2. Sleek Form
3. Exhaust / Surroundings
4. Talks (Mura Masa Remix)
5. Talks (Lynks Remix)
6. Exhaust / Surroundings (Girl Band / Daniel Fox Remix)
More information on PVA?
PVA initially formed in the aftermath of a house party in 2018 and the three-piece have since earned a fearsome reputation as one of the capital’s premier live outfits, garnering hardcore support before even setting inside a studio.
Since their formation, PVA’s raucous live performances – whether that be as a full band or their famed early hour DJ sets – had been the band’s focal point.
These last couple of years have seen the trio turn The Windmill in Brixton into a second home, whilst regular shows at The Five Bells and the Bunker in Deptford defined PVA as a big part of the local music community in their early career.
In a time of uncertainty for live music, the band’s studio prowess is jubilantly now coming to the fore. The group meld industrial miasma, new-wave, post-punk and a focused pop swagger in one pungent multi-genre cocktail, which has won them fans up and down the country, as well as recent support slots with the likes of Squid, HMLTD, Dry Cleaning and The Orielles.
‘Toner’ is only PVA’s first EP, but it teems with excitement. Never for a minute does it sit still, skipping between ideas with instinctive ease, bringing to light a broad palate of sounds and influences. Notably, on Mura Masa’s remix, Harris’ previously inconspicuous line “the best is yet to come” is reluctantly brought to the front. Perhaps then, this serves as a reminder that although seemingly fully-formed already and among the glorious chaos of ‘Toner’, this is simply the first chapter of a book we’ll be re-reading for years to come.
