Vancouver five-piece Concrete Vehicles discuss their enforced name change, finding catharsis in chaos, the city’s underground scene and why their music keeps getting heavier on stage.

Formerly known as Computer, Vancouver five-piece Concrete Vehicles make the kind of rock music that seems permanently on the verge of buckling under its own weight. What began as a recording project between lifelong friends Hudson Schelesny and Ben Lock has expanded into a five-piece, with saxophone, synths and percussion adding to a sound that pulls from post-hardcore, noise-rock and experimental music without settling comfortably into any of them. Following a cease and desist that forced an unexpected change of name, the band have entered a new chapter with ‘Cut Ties’, a growing collection of new material and a run of UK and European shows. Ahead of their trip across the Atlantic, we caught up with Concrete Vehicles to talk controlled chaos, making music in Vancouver and the catharsis buried beneath all that noise.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

We are Concrete Vehicles from Vancouver and we make expressive rock music. - Ben

The project began with Hudson and Ben recording together before gradually expanding into a five-piece. At what point did you realise the music had become too big or too complicated for the original setup?

I can’t remember a specific decision but I remember when we made the first couple songs “Concrete Vehicles, I’ll Follow, Dissolution Use” it felt like we needed as much sonic power as we could get to be able to portray what we were hearing in our heads. And once we had all the live elements and the whole 5 piece together, the band really started to sound a lot better. - Ben

You were previously called Computer. Why did you decide to become Concrete Vehicles, and does the new name represent a new era for the band musically as well?

We had to change the name for legal reasons as we received a cease and desist and Concrete Vehicles felt like the clearest throughline with the aesthetic we had built with Computer and the direction we wanted to go in. There is definitely a freshness in the air with how we have been writing and performing and I think we changed it at a good time while we’re working a lot of new music. - Ben

‘Cut Ties’ feels incredibly physical, like the song is constantly threatening to fall apart without ever actually doing so. How do you create that sense of chaos while still keeping control of the song underneath it?

The momentary latching switch on the Acapulco Gold. - Jacob

There are obvious reference points around Concrete Vehicles, from Drive Like Jehu and Dog Faced Hermans to newer experimental bands like YHWH Nailgun and Death Grips. What have you taken from those artists without simply recreating what they do?

We love all of those artists and their music will naturally bleed into what we make, but we do try to play with each other a lot and create stuff that feels new to us.

With five people, saxophone, synths, percussion and everything else happening within the band, how much of your music comes from carefully constructed arrangements and how much comes from everyone pushing against each other in the room?

Hudson and I usually record the baseline of the song and structure and then take that recording to practice and we all play it as a band. Then we usually add and edit the parts and rearrange as everyone writes their parts. Once we get a live arrangement down, Ricky and I will play it live and everyone will overdub on top of it until it’s done which usually takes a while lol. - Ben

Does playing something live ever completely change your understanding of a song? Have there been tracks that became heavier once all five of you started performing them together?

100%. “Text Stop.” That song really got a lot heavier and has a totally different energy than the recording. - Ben

You’re heading over for a pretty extensive UK and European run this summer, including All Points East. Are you approaching a huge festival stage differently from somewhere like The Windmill or Sneaky Pete’s?

The funnest thing about tour for us is the ability to switch up the sets and try different transitions and experiment while we’re playing so many shows. That being said, this current tour we’re on we’ve had a pretty eclectic mix of shows and we’ve been approaching the shows case by case to come up with a setlist. - Ben

Vancouver has produced a pretty eclectic underground music community over the years. How much has making music there shaped what Concrete Vehicles sounds like?

It has a lot. We recorded our album at Green Auto and it is still our favourite place to play! - Ben

What do you love right now?

Eureka by Jim O Rourke - Ben

What do you hate right now?

AI, Transphobes and just dickheads generally. - Ben

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

Marquee moon by television. The title track still makes me very emotional and I love the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Loyd / Billy Talent S/T because the riffs are nasty. - Jacob

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

I hope they hear some of the positivity and the catharsis in the intensity of the music. / “I bet this band would be cool live” - Jacob

Start Listening To: Concrete Vehicles