Divebar Youth: Vinnie Barbaro is Exceeding All Expectations
Divebar Youth, one of South Australia’s most exciting emerging alternative indie acts stops by, ahead of the release of his sophomore EP Modern Expectations to chat breaking the mold, European escapades and his upcoming EP tour.
Interview Emily Wilson // Potionhead
The mastermind behind genre-bending energy-saturated project Divebar Youth is steadily climbing the ladder of Australian indie success. Having played at Laneway Festival and showcased BIGSOUND, he just enjoyed a debut headline run across Germany, Switzerland, and France, and is fresh off the Harvest Rock festival stage, where he shared the bill with icons such as The Strokes and MIA. Now, he is gearing up for a self-produced EP release and a national tour.
Modern Expectations, scheduled for a November 21st release, “came from the whole idea that we’re in an era where our attention is always being drawn to different things, and we’re always thinking about how things are going to be perceived,” Barbaro explains over a Zoom call. This will be his second EP of the year. “I’ve been trying to release music consistently, that’s really my main goal, just to keep putting out as much music as I can.”
The EP was a conscious attempt to “break out of the kind of the mold that you set for yourself, or unconsciously pick up on over time.” The project comes from totally following his instincts and wholeheartedly embracing the current moment. “I was just trying to make something that felt honest and true.” Tastes of the EP, through singles such as ‘How You Doing’ and the title track - have already shown promise.
“The blend of genres is a little more distinct here,” Barbaro says of the EP in comparison to his previous output. “Ultimately, I think it’s a little more daring, I think it’s a little less safe. I think elements of the EP, specifically the singles, have actually quite a strong electronic feature. I think that came from being inspired over in Europe, especially being in Germany,” he says, referring to the country’s revered electronic scene, pioneered by the likes of Kraftwerk and Can.
Barbaro describes playing in Europe as overwhelming - but in a good way. “People are just so passionate over there, and I feel like people are so open about what they like and what they dislike. It was so nice. People were so upfront, so ready to come and have a chat and talk about why they liked the music. People in Europe seem to be quite willing to immerse themselves in art.”
He was also pleasantly surprised by the people who were familiar with his hometown, Adelaide. While he was touring across Europe, all types of people “were coming up to me and asking me about Adelaide acts. People were asking me where I was from and I’d say Adelaide, assuming they wouldn’t know.” But people almost always showcased recognition and excitement. “They’d know all these stories and acts from Adelaide, which I was so surprised by… internationally, we’re everywhere, and people are starting to take notice of that. It felt pretty good to say I was from Adelaide.”
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Adelaide, given its small scale and distance from the Eastern states, is often considered quite culturally isolated, but Barbaro is a firm believer in the quality of its artistic output. “It has this culture where it does develop very fine skills, it develops people who are very good at what they do. And I think that being kind of isolated has its upsides and downsides. You are isolated from what’s happening in the rest of the country and sometimes isolated from other acts and movements that are happening in Australia at the time, but I think as a result of that, you’re getting people who are coming out with what they want to do, and are less influenced by the current trends. I think the environment has resulted in a lot of really strong artists.”
Barbaro is an imaginative and driven creative force. “The way I make music is from the guts,” he says. “I’m just making it and seeing what happens.” What has followed is music that is not properly definable, music that straddles genres and styles.
“I think a major part of that was producing it myself, and making it on a computer - just using the means that were available to me,” he explains. “It just resulted in a blend of everything.”
He enjoys being self-sufficient. “Obviously, no shame in collaborating at all. Some of the best things I’ve done have come about through working with other people. I just felt like to make it a reality for me, and to be able to do the things I wanted to, I just didn’t want any challenges.” Working alone has given him freedom and control. “Just being able to do something and move forward, it’s made it more of a reality, and made this all possible.
Aligning with the EP release, Divebar Youth’s national tour kicks off this Friday, November 21st, in Adelaide at the beloved venue Jive. Barbaro will then proceed to play the Bergy Bandroom in Melbourne and the Black Bear Lodge in Brisbane.
“I love it. I really love doing it,” Barbara says of his electric performances. “And I think that’s the crux of it, ultimately. And I think if people are willing to come and see your live show, they want entertainment, it’s not really about yourself, it’s about them. I try to remember that: if I want to keep doing this forever, I’ve got to put on the best show every time because that’s what I’m trying to build my life on.”
Catch Divebar Youth performing at Jive Adelaide on Saturday 21 November. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
