Over the last five years, it’s arguable that Glasgow unit Vukovi have been one of the more under-appreciated bands in the UK. With their debut self-titled in 2017 setting out their stall of frantic alt rock, their 2017 effort in Fall Better beginning to show the nuances of the ability. Now with NULA, there is an air of a project that has began to hit its stride. With vocalist Janine even starting to see the impact of their efforts, “We know that that stuff’s happening when like my pals that don’t listen to rock are like ‘I actually really like that for Vukovi band‘.” With the slow roll-out of tracks such as “HURT“, “SLO” and “I EXIST” displaying some of their best material, it’s difficult to dispute why Vukovi are becoming a well-known name.
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With sci-fi influences teased on Fall Better that drew from Black Mirror, Alien and Westworld. NULA jumps into the deep end of these influences. Exploring the story of an alien who becomes the property of a nefarious capitalist and picks up 25 years after her capture. With a delve into sci-fi during lockdown being an influence on the record’s direction “All the soundtracks and the cinematic vibes kind of creeps into your subconscious. So when you’re writing music, it just seems to come out as sort of sci fi influences.” The record will soon be accompanied by a comic to tell the story, a growing theme in music that has seen Static Dress and Spiritbox release their own comics alongside their records. With the aforementioned influences of TV and film bleeding further into music, “There’s just a lot of incredible art out there right now. TV and film and there’s so much happening. And I just think it’s very inspiring, actually. And it inspires musicians as well.”
The visual element has been brought to life in Vukovi’s videos working with Modern Error’s Zak Pinchin, with tracks such as “Lasso” and “I Exist” seeing the creativity of the director who has worked the likes of Void of Vision and God Complex. “With him I don’t feel like nothing is impossible,” comments Janine on working with Pinchin. With the group’s aesthetic evolving from the early days of “Boy George“, the evolution of Vukovi is more than visible in both sound and aesthetic.
Perhaps what is most pertinent on NULA is a deeper introspectiveness and authority around the topics at hand. With “I Exist” confronting suicide, closer “XX” the modern patriarchy, and “Lasso” the industry’s hypocrisy, it’s a record that doesn’t shy away from its truths. With its inspiration coming from a place of struggle, “When you hit that rock bottom moment in your life. You just get very unapologetic and I don’t see why I should be sugar-coating things,” explains Janine. Further adding a heartfelt “If that’s going to help other people, then that’s everything.”
Although this doesn’t mean NULA is a record that Vukovi want listeners to find pity in, when asked about the takeaways they want listeners to have from the record, the firm answer is “I want it to be empowering.” Later adding the emphasis being motivated about confronting one’s own issues in life, “It’s not like I’m just going to fucking moan about hundreds of things in my life and not do anything about it.” This can be seen in how NULA closes out, with a traditional structure ending on a sombre closer, the record decides to end on a positive note with closer “XX“, confirming “we had to end on something positive.”
With NULA now released, this leads Vukovi into the territory of tour season. Coming off the back of a festival season that saw Vukovi perform at 2ktrees that is described as “Genuinely wild. It was mental,” it has put the duo on a strong footing heading into their largest UK tour to date. With a humbleness and empathy entering this tour that is rare to find, “Right now tours aren’t selling because no one has money. And it’s, it’s such a shame for people to be able to try and afford the luxurious things like going to gigs its fucking devastating actually.” With October becoming the busy season for tours, there is a more than grateful mindset heading into their upcoming shows.
As Vukovi enter into what is their biggest point of their career, there is a sense of deserved excitement towards it. What is clearly evident is a unit of talent and ability that is crossed with a sense of self and a good heart, that through music there is a possibility to feel empowered. While it may have been a long rollout that stretches back to 2020 to see the release of NULA, it marks what is hopefully a turning point to see Vukovi becoming one of the leading groups within the UK. And in the words of Janine and their fans, “it’s about fucking time.”
NULA is out now via LAB Records and can be pre-ordered here.