Today, retro-rocking, funk-fuelled Welsh wonders CVC have delivered on the promise of their exhilarating live reputation with Get Real, a record described as "a remarkably fully formed debut" by The Times.
To mark the occasion, we spoke to the band at a momentous time in their short lifespan and are proud to offer a signed test pressing of the album for one lucky winner.
Throughout 2022, CVC were busy on the road, garnering a new and highly devoted fan base due to their incredible and celebratory live show. The Arts Desk called them “the best live act I saw last year (of a list which includes Paul McCartney, The Prodigy and Wet Leg)”. Wowing on stages like Reading and Leeds Festivals, through to sold-out hometown shows in their native Wales, the anticipation for Get Real has reached boiling point.
Believe the hype: Get Real has enjoyed ★★★★ reviews from The Times, DIY Magazine and The Big Issue among others. The NME proclaimed Get Real is "a cracking debut album of feelgood, uber-retro gems" with DIY in agreement: "Tattoos classic influences proudly on its chest... disarmingly polished and self-assured." Their wide-ranging influences run the gamut of the best rock music of the last 60 years and closer to the present day, fans of Red Rum Club, Wunderhorse and Creeping Jean will find a lot to love.
TM: Across the run of singles leading to the release of your debut album Get Real, CVC has gone from the best-kept-secret in the Welsh live scene to one of the hottest acts in the country, with plaudits from across the board and even being selected one of The NME 100: essential emerging artists for 2023. On the cusp of all this commotion, how does it feel to finally drop the album?
CVC: Honestly, it’s a dream come true. After growing up listening to classic albums, we always wanted to create a body of work that looked, sounded and felt like a proper album. With Get Real, it was almost like taking the gigging band that we were and transitioning it from a hobby to a career, hence Getting Real. Some of our very first songs are on that album, so it serves as a snapshot of the first incarnation of CVC and it presents the band's formative years perfectly. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it.
TM: You’ve spoken about how while recording the album, your inspirations and studio references ranged from The Beatles and Supertramp to Dr Dre and Red Hot Chili Peppers. How do you consolidate all these disparate influences from the last 60 years and reinterpret sounds from the past to create music relevant in 2023?
CVC: Well I think our main influences are rooted in 70s rock music: funk and soul. And all the samples that producers like Dr. Dre took in the 90s were from funk, soul and Motown music from the 70s, so there is a connection there - there’s just that harder beat over the top.
So for us, it was just like taking a little bit of everything we love and trying to sew it together like a nice patchwork blanket. One patch The Chronic, and one patch Breakfast in America, joined together by a common CVC thread
TM: Your spectacular video for breakthrough single ‘Sophie’ sees the band dropped off for a performance outside a stately home in a small aeroplane. Who is Captain Fran and did you guys really get to fly his plane?
CVC: Thank you for the kind words! And yeah, I’m gonna say we flew in direct from Geneva with Captain Fran manning the airborne helm.
TM: Finally, why should anyone whose first taste of CVC is this article head to your Official Store and order a copy of Get Real?
"Get Real can be the blazing summer sunshine in your grey January!" - CVC
Get Real? is out now on Yellow Vinyl, Black Vinyl, CD and Cassette on the CVC Official Store. All formats include Signed Prints and are out now alongside new t-shirt designs.
Enter our exclusive giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a signed test pressing of Get Real.
The winner will be chosen on Monday 23rd January 2023.
N.B: If the competition entry module is inaccessible, enter the giveaway directly via the button below.