“To perform one’s pain is to evaporate it.“
Rarely has it happened that I’ve come across a band or album knowing absolutely nothing about it and find it to be one of the best releases of this year and possibly of all time. Imagine my joy when I find not one but two albums out in a span of a week. The first one being Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain and the second being Viv. It is everything you’d want from music; catchy & colorful, brooding & bleak but most importantly, fun.
It is astounding just how much variety of sounds SPICE have managed to artistically fit into a small package that has a length of only about half an hour. The pomp of “Recovery” that starts off the album, the subtle touches of violin on “Vivid” & “Ashes in the Birdbath” , to the purely fun drunk anthems like “Threnody”, every single minute is perfection. These different soundscapes are not just haphazardly thrown together and blended just for the sake of it. They all fit in perfectly into the bigger picture that is Viv and offer a refreshing and rather uplifting vibe despite a lot of the lyrics and moods conveying a sense of gloom. It is a cohesive & intricately crafted piece of art that amazes at every turn.
A plethora of different elements from violins to elements of punk, emo & grunge each have their moments to shine. Every song has bouncy basslines akin to Turnstile’s GLOW ON. They accentuate the more happier sounding instrumentals that add an upbeat flavor to the album. In contrast to the lyrics which shroud the album in bleak emotion, it does a wonderful job of creating a sense of comfort to the listener. The guitar sound vibrant & lush throughout, especially on “Vivid”. Violin undertones accompany about half of the songs and I do wish there was more. Even fitting in a little spoken word interlude on an already tight album in the form of “Melody Drive” speaks a lot about the vision of SPICE.
You can easily compare their sound to some of amazing bands such as NOTHING, Turnstile & Spanish Love Songs but the fact is that SPICE are a beast like none other. They have a unique, characteristic sound that combines a lot of different elements. Despite how good they are, they’ll probably go under the radar with not enough people checking them out. But for the ones who will, they’ll be left amazed at the scope and ambition of Viv.
Melancholia infused Viv is set to climb up the ladder on everyone’s favorite music album as long as they give it a chance. It is essentially a love letter to music from passionate individuals who let music do the talking. How I wish they’d talk more. Arguably one of the best releases of this year, it is worth a listen to anyone even remotely fond of literally any sub-genre of rock music.
9/10
Viv will release on Friday 20th May, and can be pre-ordered here.