Bedroom pop, dream pop, ethereal waves or whatever you want to call the genre there is something so surreal about Wondervine’s listening experience.
Oli Van Aken, the musician behind the project, curates these other worlds through swirling synths, dynamic beats, and vivid vocals.
I sat down with Van Aken to discuss Wondervine’s origins and the project’s next steps.
“I always liked the word wonder and I think that really describes the way I wanted my music to make people think,” Van Aken explained. “And then I was like what goes after wonder. I feel like wonder was too one worded and then I was like Wondervine. Wonder on a vine, it’s ever-growing.”
According to Van Aken, her ever-growing musical journey began with taking piano and violin lessons and downloading a music making app.
“I must have been like 11 years old and I had this app on my phone where you could record different audio files. I started to learn how to do harmonies and things like that,” Van Aken said. “I think that was really what taught me how to make music. And then I started making my own kind of versions of harmonies and songs.”
Later, Van Aken said she took vocal lessons and transitioned to producing music using Garageband. Now, she uses the music software Logic because it gives her more control over the sound.
“I just connect my keyboard and try different sounds, and it’s just really fun. I love it,” Van Aken said. “Its also just easy for me, because I used Garageband before. It’s just really easy to edit.”
Pop music has always been an inspiration for Van Aken. She explained musicians like Arina Grande and Beach House especially have shaped how she goes about bringing her music to life.
“That’s definitely a huge inspiration, especially for the synthesizer and pads I use,” Van Aken said. “I like making a kind of like dreamy landscape of sounds. And really immersing yourself into it so you can feel the wind and everything in the sound.”
This emphasis on immersion is something that Van Aken explained she wants to capture in every piece.
“The biggest part of music for me is how it makes you feel and how you can kind of detach from where you are,” Van Aken said. “If I put in my headphones right now, I might be sitting in a coffee shop[but] if I close my eyes, I might be on like a beach listening to something. I think that when you add atmospheric components to something it really helps you drift into a different space.”
Van Aken said when she listens back to her previous work, like “Resolution” and “Night Market” she can feel the emotions that created those spaces.
“I write the best when I’m super passionate about something whether it’s something bad in my life or something good in my life,” Van Aken said. “When I look back at different things in the music I’ve made and songs I’ve made. I understand the feelings I was going through in that phase and I’m like yeah that is was exactly how I felt back then. I use it like a diary.”
According to Van Aken, she has been working on some new ideas and hopes to release a new single in the next few months.
“Its another one of those super windy songs but it’s really fun,” Van Aken explained. “I also have a lot of other songs that I am working on too. I am waiting to get a really good catalog of a few songs that I want to put onto a little EP or something.”
Stay tuned for announcements for the new single release soon by following the Wondervine Instagram. You can listen to the full releases on Band Camp, Spotify and SoundCloud.
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