South African-born, Melbourne-based Tamil multidisciplinary artist Ecca Vandal strutted her way into the music scene back in 2016 in traditional punk style with an edgy disposition and something to say. Her musical work is fearlessly genre-bending and frequently sees her weaving together punk, hip-hop, jazz, trip-hop and electronic influences, informed in part by her formative years as a jazz musician and her passion for improvisation. which lead her to fall in love with the DIY punk world. Her work is anchored around a boldly rebellious, tenaciously politically-charged voice that demands to be heard. 

Her unrelenting stage energy has brought her a history of touring alongside globally renowned acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, IDLES and The Prodigy. Adding to a growing international profile, she has made the rounds of the global festival circuit, playing sets at Download, Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK, Afropunk Paris, as well as, Splendour in the Grass, Falls and Laneway Festivals in Australia. 

Fresh off a recent tour supporting IDLES, Ecca Vandal shares her latest single, “Cruising to Self Soothe,” a bruising and grungy punk ripper that subtly nods to Nirvana, Bikini Kill and 80s New Wave while displaying the South African-born artist’s knack for razor sharp hooks and shout along worthy choruses. 
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“‘Cruising to Self Soothe’ is about cultivating your inner strength when navigating life on your own, even when it feels a bit isolating,” Ecca Vandal says. “It’s about that pivotal moment when you recognize that you’re stronger without the people who were weighing you down, and there’s a real sense of empowerment in that for me. It captures the feeling of breaking free and moving forward, no matter the challenges that come. Even when others are waiting for you to fall, you’re still rising — stronger than ever.”

Directed by Ecca Vandal and Richie Buxton, the stylish accompanying video for “Cruising to Self Soothe” was shot in Knox, Australia and finds Vandal and her backing band in and around the various shaped bowls of a local skate park. At one point, we see her riding one of those little supermarket trains you’d beg your parents to pay a quarter or 50 cents for you to ride — all day.

“The idea for the ‘Cruising to Self Soothe’ video came during the pandemic when I took up skateboarding,” Ecca Vandal told Alternative Press. “I’d always loved skate culture, but it wasn’t until I started learning to skate in a heart-shaped bowl in a little suburb called Knox that I really felt its impact. Skating there, so offline and present in the moment, became a form of self-soothing for me. The song is about shedding negativity and finding self-belief, and the many days I spent at that skate bowl perfectly represented that journey—feeling small and unsteady at first, then gradually owning every curve. And I’ve got to shout out the adorable ‘Ecca Train’, a prop that symbolises the back-and-forth ride of building confidence—doing it with style and as if nobody’s watching.”

She adds, “‘Cruising to Self Soothe’ was actually written in 2018 when I was living in London. My partner and I were listening to so much Fugazi and Ritual-era Jane’s Addiction – we definitely owe a serious debt to those great bands whose music, perhaps not incidentally, is so perfect to skate to. Guy Picciotto’s vocals in particular actually had a huge impact on me at the time.”