The BV’s are a band from Augsburg, Germany. Their bittersweet, looping, disintegrating mix of indie pop, shoegaze and krautrock came together by chance in the cascading granite greys of a wet English winter in 2016, when Fred moved from Augsburg in Germany to Cornwall in the UK for a University exchange programme and moved in with Josh. After living together for four months, they decided to record some demos for fun, which later became their first album, Speaking From A Distance, released in 2017 on German label Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. After Fred moved back to Augsburg, The BV’s continued to make music over the internet, releasing an EP and a second album with Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten (Cartography, 2019), as well as singles with Cloudberry Records (USA), Shiny Happy Records (Indonesia) and Melotron Recordings (Greece). They also toured extensively in Europe and the UK, including appearances at Indietracks and Madrid Popfest. In 2022, Josh moved from the UK to Augsburg. With the band now finally all living in the same city, the bv’s have spent the last year recording their third album, Taking Pictures Of Taking Pictures, which was released on 16^th February by Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten and Shelflife Records.

What They Say: “Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures is our first album as a full band, where we all participated in the songwriting together. You can really hear on our latest single, I Can’t Stand the Rain, where Matt’s bass line and Hannes’s drums propel the song forward, adding a dynamism and fullness that is lacking on our other albums, which were recorded way more DIY and lo-fi. It’s been a really fulfilling process for us, and has lead to new sounds and experimentation that we were just not possible in the previous iteration of the band. I Can’t Stand the Rain is about being in the midst of a new relationship, so happy and joyous for the first time in years, and being so unused to it that you’re almost unable to enjoy it – at least the summer rain will bring me back to my usual sad state. The song had a few various forms before it became what you hear now, shaped and crafted by all of us working together and mashing our influences into one song. We’re really proud of it and hope that everyone else likes it too!“

Their Mixtape:

Blood Orange – Jesus Freak Lighter

I’m a Dev Hynes superfan and have been listening to his music in all its various forms since I was a teenager. This guitar on this song, which creates this 80s, almost digital, otherworldly, cold sadness, really inspired my guitar sound on the new album. (Josh)

Kirsty MacColl – Terry

The perfect pop song — wry lyrics, wonderful melodies, an over the top guitar solo, loads of harmonies, a video starring Ade Edmondson. This is really one of my favourite songs of all time and feels like a complete pop hit. If I can ever write a pop song as good as this, I’ll be very proud.(Josh)

Grauzone – Der Weg Zu Zweit

Obscure (well, not “Eisbär”, of course) DIY NDW/post-punk with a lot of 80s pathos and fluorescent, repetitive lyrics – I guess this song is representative for the kind of positive melancholia I’m trying to replicate with the bv’s. (Fred)

Neu! – Für Immer

Forever, is there anything else to say? Forever repetition and listening to motorik beat and everything NEU! and co. inspired. I guess they’re to blame though that I find it so hard to write songs with organized structures. (Fred)

John Maus – Cop Killer

This record, and this song in particular, are what really inspired me to start experimenting more with synthesisers, and to build that into the songs on our new album. The way the synth creates the atmosphere of the song is something I’ve been trying to replicate. (Matt)

Stephen’s Shore – The Sun

This songs reverberated melodies remind me of the mythical light of a Scandinavian midsummer evening. (Hannes)

Taking Pictures Of Taking Pictures is out now on Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten and Shelflife Records. Look HERE for more information on The BV’s.