Vansire

Vansire is a dream pop band from Rochester, Minnesota consisting of Josh Augustin and Sam Winemiller. They're currently signed to Spirit Goth Records. Vansire has performed at ROCKChester,[2] and has played a live session with Audiotree.[3]

This article is about the American dream pop band. For the mongoose species, see Marsh mongoose.

Vansire
Origin	Rochester, Minnesota
Genres	dream pop[1] bedroom pop lo-fi
Years active	2015 (2015)–present
Labels	Spirit Goth Records
Associated acts	FLOOR CRY Chester Watson sophie meiers Jeremiah Jae MED Mellow Fellow
Website	Bandcamp
Members	Josh Augustin Sam Winemiller

History

Formation

Vansire formed as band members Josh Augustin (vocals, synths, guitar, and drums) and Sam Winemiller (bass, guitar, and synths) were attending Century High School in Rochester, Minnesota.[4] Augustin and Winemiller met while playing together on the school's drumline and continued to find themselves performing together through school activities (such as concert band and pit orchestra), something the duo says contributed to their creative synergy and friendship, which later helped in Vansire's formation.[1]

In the summer of 2015, Winemiller approached Augustin after practice for the school's drumline with an idea to make a band "that sounds like Mac [DeMarco]". The pair's early recordings were made by holding instruments to the internal microphone of an iPad running GarageBand.[1] Augustin and Winemiller, initially unsure of what to call their new project, turned to an online random word generator which landed on "vansire",[1] an alternative name for the Marsh mongoose.[5][6]

From there, the two continued to record together in their basements, living rooms, and bedrooms under the new Vansire moniker.

Reflections and Reveries and The Rolling, Driftless North (2016-2017)

In August 2016, Vansire self-released their first album, Reflections and Reveries. The duo recorded the album entirely in Winemiller's basement in a roughly one-year period from August 2015 to August 2016, and included Winemiller's brother, Issac, on bass for some songs.[7][8]

During this time, Augustin began studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Oberlin College, while Winemiller started at the University of Minnesota.[9][10] Despite the distance, the duo vowed to remain committed to the Vansire project, now describing it as "a long-distance band relationship."[11]

Angel Youth (2018-present)

Vansire released their second album Angel Youth in April 2018 on Spirit Goth Records. Augustin and Winemiller produced and mastered the album themselves,[12] and it is the band's first full length album that featured collaborations with other artists.

In June 2019, the duo released their single "Metamodernity",[13] also recording an Audiotree Live session at Audiotree's studios in Chicago later that August.[3]

In July 2020, Vansire released "Central Time", a single featuring Chicago-based rapper Mick Jenkins in their first collaboration together. In an interview announcing the single, Augustin said the single began as an instrumental demo that Winemiller sent him in September 2019, which sat untouched for roughly eight months until the duo returned back to it, finishing it up in the beginning of June 2020.[14]

During this period of the band's history, Augustin said that Vansire found itself leaning in an "increasingly dance-oriented direction" with regard to musical sound, and that the duo has started to draw influence from more "dancey, funk-imbued music".[14]

Discography

Albums

• Reflections and Reveries (2016)
• Angel Youth (Spirit Goth Records, 2018)

EPs

• The Rolling Driftless North (2017)

Singles

• "Central Time" (2020)
• "Metamodernity" (2019)
• "That I Miss You" (2018)
• "Star Catcher" (2018)
• "Halcyon Age" (2017)
• "Brown Study" (2017)
• "Driftless" (2017)
• "Pontchartrain" (2016)
• "Postal Codes" (2016)
• "Bridges for the Young" (2015)

References

1. Jones, Ben (7 December 2018). "Q&A with Vansire Cofounder Josh Augustin '20". Oberlin College and Conservatory. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
2. "Our View: ROCKchester music festival showcases city's young talent". Post Bulletin. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
3. Welch, Alyssa (29 August 2019). "Watch This: Vansire on Audiotree Live". Midwest Action. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
4. Colby, Claire (13 July 2017). "ROCKchester festival highlights our city's young musicians". Post Bulletin. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
5. Jonathan Kingdon; David Happold; Thomas Butynski (23 May 2013). Mammals of Africa. Michael Hoffmann, Meredith Happold, Jan Kalina. A&C Black. p. 298. ISBN 978-1-4081-8996-2.
6. Cuvier, F. G. (1826). "Vansire". In E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire; F. G. Cuvier (eds.). Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères : avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans. Tome 5. Paris: A. Belin. p. LIV.
7. "Reflections and Reveries - Vansire". Bandcamp. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
8. Corrigan, Graham (2 February 2018). "Vansire and Chester Watson Blend Dream Pop and Hip-Hop "Star Catcher"". Complex. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
9. Anthony, Dominic (3 December 2018). "Q&A: Josh Augustin of Vansire". KRTU Indie. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
10. Dassarma, Anjali (27 August 2019). "Vansire woos crowd with dream-pop performance at Songbyrd". The Retriever. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
11. Nangle, Olivia (25 April 2018). "Vansire Sets High Bar for Dream Pop Soundtrack of the Summer". The Fordham Ram. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
12. K., Rudy (27 September 2018). "Review: Angel Youth - Vansire". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
13. Vettorino, Madison (19 August 2019). "TODAY'S SONG: VANSIRE MUSE ABOUT MODERN LIFE WITH "METAMODERNITY"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
14. Vettorino, Madison (21 July 2020). "PREMIERE: VANSIRE & MICK JENKINS' "CENTRAL TIME" IS A LOVE LETTER FOR THE MIDWEST". Atwood Magazine.