Today, we’re thrilled to chat with Rubbish Party, an indie-rock band hailing from Warwickshire. Known for their poignant lyrics and captivating melodies, this creative collective is led by German-American lyricist Evan Zorn Von Berg who is joined by UK natives J. Edwin Galloway, Alfred Lavender, Edward Clutterbuck and the mysterious Crimson Creep. Drawing inspiration from iconic bands like The Smiths and Gorillaz, their music offers a fresh yet nostalgic take on the indie rock genre. Their latest single ‘Flat By The Lake’ is a bold exploration of nostalgia and longing, rooted in Von Berg’s personal experiences. With its rhythmic melodies, evocative lyrics, and seamless collaboration among band members, this track is a standout piece from their Love and Decay EP. Join us as we dive deeper into their journey, creative process and what’s next for Rubbish Party.

Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t already familiar with Rubbish Party, can you introduce yourself?

Hello, Evan Von Berg, and the Crimson Creep here with Rubbish Party, We are a band of blokes, Evan Von Berg, Crimson Creep (Samuel Cummings), J. Edwin Galloway, Alfred Lavender, Edward Clutterbuck, and George Hammich, We are an indie rock band, based out of Warwickshire.

You’ve recently released ‘Flat By The Lake’, which explores themes of nostalgia and longing. Can you share more about how your personal experiences inspired the lyrics?

Evan Von Berg: Yes, Flat by the Lake is about the first apartment I lived in with the mother of my children. It was a good time in our relationship, however chaotic, and the song is about a deep longing to return to that simpler time when life seemed to be going out way, before the downfall of our relationship. That’s the basis of the lyrics.

Could you explain the significance of the song’s title and how it ties into the overall message of the song?

EVB: Yes, as mentioned, Flat by the lake is a reference to the first apartment I lived in , and it was a lakeside flat in Colorado (I’m one of 2 American members of the band). The flat by the lake for me is a very personal place I long to return to. For other people I want the words “take me back” to take them back to whatever place they wish, their “flat by the lake” so to speak.

You’ve described the track as a “classic indie rock tune,” why do you think that the indie-rock genre continues to be so relevant?

Crimson Creep: it may be biased to say but I think because it’s perhaps the best genre, and good indie is continuing to come out and we believe we are contributing to new and innovative ways to expand the genre whilst also incorporating everything about indie going as far back to the 80’s that made it great.

It seems like the creative process was quite collaborative, with Alfred providing guitar riffs, Von Berg contributing lyrics, and Clutterbuck adapting his vocals. How do you maintain such a seamless flow of ideas as a band?

CC: it can be hard at times. We start with raw lyrics and the motion we are going for, and then we blend our ideas together and see what works best. Many times it’s not as seamless as like would like and disagreements arise. Overall though we usually are pretty good about blending things together. For instance I wrote the lyrics for the other tracks in Love and Decay and I think my band members brought all their instrumentals in perfectly.

Can you tell us what it was like playing the song together for the first time?

EVB: we were literally brought to tears. We were in tears when we played it in unison the first time.

You’ve cited The Smiths and Gorillaz as influences, so how did these bands shape your sound?

CC: We believe layered synths are essential track. That’s the Gorillaz inspiration coming through heavily on Love and Decay. As far as ‘Flat by the lake’ is concerned we used a Roland JC 120 set to clean and a Fender Vintera bass 6 with a lot of chorus pedals to generate a more unique sound and the bass lick was very Smiths inspired”.

What’s the local scene like in Warwickshire?

CC: The inns and the pubs are where it’s at. Everyone starts playing those if they can. Some of the pubs are more discriminating than others. We’re not big enough to play Glastonbury yet so we have to start small

‘Flat By The Lake’ is also part of your Love and Decay EP, how does it fit into the larger narrative of the record?

EVB: it is the longing to return part of the EP which is about failed relationships. Hear ye is the begging of the downfall and the really bad fights starting to manifest, shimmy and shake is finding out our significant other has cheated (we all have been there these days it seems in this society that seemingly encourages such behavior), and flat by the lake is longing to return to better times, before the song smile now which is us saying alright enough of the B.S. you screwed with me, it’s our turn to be the bad guy now.

What’s next for Rubbish Party?

CC: we have an album releasing in September, a slamdown of critics , the modern indie scene, governments, and modern society as whole.

You can also listen to ‘Flat By The Lake’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.

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