Austrian electronic-duo HVOB (Her Voice Over Boys) have spoiled us this week by dropping a new single and announcing their third album. For the first time ever, Paul Wallner and Anna Müller have collaborated on a record, choosing Mumford & Sons’ Winston Marshall to join them. What results is a stunningly darker sound throughout their new album, SILK, out March 24th. This is evident in first track “Blame Game”, which features haunting vocals floating over captivating reverb-heavy guitar lines to create a chilling and beautiful listen.

With a European tour planned for April, we sat down with Anna to have a chat about what’s in store.

How did you first meet?

Paul and I met in Vienna a couple of years ago, it’s a small city and it’s very unlikely that you don’t meet the people that share the same passion for music as yourself. We recognised very quickly that we should make music together, he is good in things that I am not good in, and vice versa. He is more the technical part as I am more the composing and lyrical one.

Who are your musical influences?

When I grew up, I listened to all the bands my brother was into. My first concert I ever went to was Oasis in the late 90s, I think I was 11 or 12 years old. Shortly after that I became obsessed with acts like Radiohead, PJ Harvey and Nirvana, later with Elliott Smith and some German bands like The Notwist and Tocotronic. To name only a very few.

Can you tell us about your new single “The Blame Game”?

Winston was sending over some chords and vocals, which Paul and I fell in love with, and so we started to produce the track. It was the first song we started with for the new album. We finished the track together in Vienna, it was a very intense and productive time, as we had a very strict deadline for the album. When we started with “The Blame Game” we thought we want to do only an EP, but then we decided to make a whole album, but the deadline stayed the same as for the EP. Yeah, so we had quiet a lot to do.

“The Blame Game” is the first track from your new album SILK. Can you tell us about the new album?

18 months ago, we got an email from Winston. Paul and I thought that it was a fake email and we didn‘t take it too seriously at first. It said that he liked our music and that he wanted to visit us in Vienna and produce some music. Fast forward 18 months and we are proud that we have made it. It was not that easy as we all have very strict tour schedules, but we found a way, because we all love the music so much.

The track is described as “darker” than your previous stuff. Can you tell us about this change in direction?

It is different to our previous stuff of course, as there are two worlds colliding: Indie and Techno. HVOB was touring mainly in clubs all over the world for the past years, but the collaboration with Winston gets the sound of HVOB more out of the club onto concert stages. It is an experiment, we always want to try new things, and so does Winston.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

I think we are quite happy with Winston Marshall from Mumford & Sons for the beginning!

You’re heading off on tour with Winston later this year. Can you tell us a bit about the tour and the light and visual show you have planned?

We will be touring in 15 European cities with the new album in April together with Winston. For HVOB it’s the first concert tour not in the middle of the night in club venues, so we are quite excited and looking forward to new experiences. Some of the cities were sold out already before we even released new music, so we are very thankful and excited. We will bring our VJs and will give our best, so better come by.

What else do you have lined up for this year?

We are currently working on bringing the show to North and South America, and there are dates planned for Australia and Asia too. We toured in China last year and we definitely want to go back as the feedback was overwhelming. So I don’t think we will get bored for the rest of the year.