ATLVS Slow Down with Emotionally Heavy Single ‘Synthetic Heaven’

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Adam 'Ricey' Rice

If you are anything like us here at Wall of Sound HQ, you would be have been following and loving the string of releases that ATLVS has dropped over the past six or so months in the lead up to their sophomore EP The Wound, The Blade which is due for release on July 15th.

With low tuned, beefy guitars, the singles ‘Kodokushi‘, ‘Comethazine‘ and ‘Broken Bonds’ have been very heavy which everyone seems to love, but the direction on this next single takes you somewhere different. ‘Synthetic Heaven‘ manages to hit you with heavy emotions such as grief and loss while breathing new life into what can sometimes be a stale genre. So before you hit play, go grab the tissues!

Drummer and songwriter Nick Clavarino gives us more info on the tear-jerking track and his relationship with his grandfather:

“We were super close, he even lived next door to my family and I my whole life, but as I got older I was back and forth a lot when ATLVS started and I didn’t have as much time to see him anymore. We played a show on a Sunday, I got home late and had to get ready to drive to NSW the next morning so I said to him I couldn’t see him, and sadly he passed away that night.

Synthetic Heaven is about that realisation – that you never truly know what you had until it’s gone. We went in with raw emotion on this track, and we’ve set out to push that narrative, to make the most of the time you have with family, friends and loved ones, because you never know what lies around the corner.”

The sombre goes to show that this act isn’t a one-trick pony. Bassist Matthew Borthwick flourishes in the limelight with his vocals in this piece while Nathan Coff uses his range to perfectly express the song’s themes. ATLVS also released one of the year’s best music videos to coincide with the single release, so make sure you don’t rob yourself the opportunity to watch it.

This EP is already shaping up to be an incredibly diverse release and with one song left, we are drooling over the thought of listening to this EP from start to finish.

Words by Adam Rice

Pre-Order The Wound, The Blade EP here