Ecca Vandal shines on incandescent posi-punk empowerment anthem "Cruising To Self Soothe"
Melbourne-based multidisciplinary firebrand Ecca Vandal has been steadily staking her claim on the new landscape of alternative music with an eclectic sound that infuses a globe-spanning heritage and disparate influences with high-energy attitude and muscular confidence.
“Cruising To Self Soothe” is an incandescent posi-punk empowerment anthem that pogos on a spring-loaded beat instigating a churning mosh of jagged guitars and ragged, impassioned vocals burnished to a brilliant copper glow like a warm sunset descending on sandy tropical beaches. Bursting with a level of optimism and unflappable fortitude shared with bubblegum hardcore champs Turnstile and taking a cue from internationally flavored mainstream pop-punk that recalls early efforts from Top 40 alternative radio mainstays Sugar Ray and 311 while reaching as far back to brush shoulders with the titanic presence of punk OGs Fugazi, Vandal has tapped into a propulsive energy that all but guarantees “Cruising To Self Soothe” prominent placement as an early frontrunner for this year’s song of the summer on boomboxes across the pop cultural spectrum.
Vandal keeps her eye on the prize with lyrics that espouse a personal commitment to achieving lofty goals, acknowledging the long journey to the apex of success and the resilience necessary to stand alone atop a summit of one’s own creation. Delivering the hook like a clear-eyed mantra “cruising on my own, I’m moving up where I belong, but at the top it’s fuckin cold, but I’m moving on without you” unfolds on the back of a primal scream like the pages of an illuminated manuscript gilded and majestic and inspirational as secular gospel for unrestrained self actualization.
Backing up the track’s unquestionable bravado with an equally bold and highly polished video co-directed with Richie Buxton, Ecca Vandal broadcasts stadium-sized spirit from the concave bowls of a vacant skate park spartanly furnished with kitschy explosions of shabby chic decor that juxtaposes universal suburban ennui with expressively youthful allusions of micro-rebellion. Vandal’s personal style is on full display and is as diverse as her sound, presenting as a hyperspeed collision of Gwen Stefani-inspired OC mallcore, Karen O’s and Santogold’s gutter trash haute couture, and the celebratory mania of Cyndi Lauper that goes leagues deeper than surface-level to augment the curated sonic diversity with a reverently referential palette from which she constructs a multifaceted persona that’s all her own.
Stream “Cruising To Self Soothe” on Spotify and follow Ecca Vandal on Instagram.
Upcoming Shows
MAR 23 - Atlas Arena - Łódź, Poland - Tickets
MAR 26 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Tickets
APR 01 - Sportpaleis - Antwerpen, Belgium - Tickets
AUG 10 - Sziget Festival 2025 - Budapest, Hungary
AUG 23 - Reading Festival 2025 - Reading, United Kingdom - Tickets
AUG 24 - Leeds Festival 2025 - Leeds, United Kingdom - Tickets
SEP 20 - Shaky Knees 2025 - Atlanta, GA - Tickets