Track Of The Day: VERO – ‘Cupid’

An intoxicating blur of urgent vocals and buzzing riffs, Stockholm-based trio VERO have shared their latest single ‘Cupid’. Taken from the band’s upcoming debut album Unsoothing Interior, which is set for release on 6th May via PNK SLM, the track is a raw exploration of lust and control, punctuated by discordant guitar noises and brooding lyrics.

Formed of teenage friends Julia Boman & Amanda Eddestål and Clara Gyökeres who they befriended whilst DJ’ing on the Stockholm nightclub circuit, VERO create music inspired by an eclectic range of influences. Their main purpose, aside from creating anthems with shades of 90s alternative icons Sonic Youth, is to challenge the idea of what a modern guitar band is supposed to be. That challenge started with previous singles ‘Beg!’ and a cover of Shame’s ‘Concrete’, but now the trio have further proved their ability to antagonise and intrigue listeners with their new single ‘Cupid’.

“‘Cupid’ was the first song we wrote that made the album” the band explain. “We had made a couple of demos before, but we weren’t loving them. They all sounded a bit too pretty and safe, so when the drums for Cupid were done, we took a guitar and started making these wheeling, chaotic noises, and that was it. That was the sound that set the tone for our album. The lyrics are a bit dream-like, it’s about lust and control.”

With their refreshingly candid approach to making music, VERO’s debut album is set to be a cathartic listen. “We don’t want to be super musicians,” bassist & vocalist Julia Boman explains further. “We want to write the best fucking songs and just have the best energy and show people that we’re having fun.” With ‘Cupid’, the band have certainly achieved that.

Listen to ‘Cupid’ below.

Follow VERO on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Pre-order VERO’s debut album Unsoothing Interior here

Photo Credit: Dan Kendall

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LISTEN: VERO – ‘Concrete’ (Shame cover)

A swirling, provocative cover of British punk band Shame’s gritty original track, Stockholm-based trio VERO have shared their latest single ‘Concrete’. Released via PNKSLM Recordings as the second half of their upcoming 7″ ‘BEG!/Concrete’, which is set for physical release on 14th January, the track is a heady mix of distorted guitars and alluring vocals.

Formed of teenage friends Julia Boman & Amanda Eddestål and Clara Gyökeres who they befriended whilst DJ’ing on the Stockholm nightclub circuit, VERO create music inspired by an eclectic range of influences. Their main purpose, aside from creating anthems with shades of 90s alternative icons Sonic Youth, is to challenge the idea of what a modern guitar band is supposed to be. With their cover of Shame’s ‘Concrete’, the trio have further proved their ability to antagonise and intrigue listeners with their brooding rhythms and crystalline, urgent vocals.

“We’ve never made a cover before, so when we were thinking of a fun B-side for the 7”, we decided to pick a song and a band that we loved,” the band explain. “We’ve been fans of Shame since ‘The Lick’, so it was an easy choice. The original ‘Concrete’ is a high-powered song; energetic and fast. We decided to take it down a whole lot, and then accelerate the intensity for the second half of the song. We had only 2 days to arrange, record and mix the track, which must’ve been a record for us. It was done in super-speed with no second thought, and we love the result.”

Listen to ‘Concrete’ below.

Follow VERO on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Hanna Rubensson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: VERO – ‘Beg!’

A seething guitar anthem fueled by the anger that’s left behind by a flawed relationship, Stockholm-based trio VERO have shared their latest single ‘Beg!’. Released via PNKSLM Recordings and one half of an upcoming 7″ single that’s set for release on 14th January, the track is saturated with brooding bass lines, swirling riffs and stinging vocals.

Formed of teenage friends Julia Boman and Amanda Eddestål and Clara Gyökeres who they befriended whilst DJ’ing on the Stockholm nightclub circuit, VERO create music inspired by an eclectic range of influences. Their main purpose, aside from creating anthems with shades of 90s alternative icons Sonic Youth, is to challenge the idea of what a modern guitar band is supposed to be. With new single ‘Beg!’, the trio have crafted a bold, visceral statement of autonomy, antagonising listeners with their crystalline vocals and raging rhythms.

“BEG! is about dysfunctional relationships, but most of all it’s a song about anger,” the band explain. “We wanted to write something that oozes anger, and we think it does. It’s our favourite song to play live and it really sets the vibe for what’s to come.” With a debut album in the pipeline for 2022, we can’t wait to hear more of VERO’s charged sounds.

Listen to ‘Beg’ below.

Follow VERO on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo credit: Hanna Rubensson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Hadda Be – ‘Wait In The Dark’

Following the jangly energy of latest single ‘Another Life’, London-Brighton band Hadda Be (fka Foundlings) have now shared a brand new offering taken from their upcoming debut album.

Propelled by scuzzy riffs and thrashing racing beats, ‘Wait In The Dark’ shows us a heavier side to Hadda Be than what we might be used to, proving them as a band who are able to constantly hone their sound, reluctant to be pigeon-holed into any one genre.

With a gritty, frenzied energy and shades of the whirring splendour of Sonic Youth, it builds with a frenetic tension to a magnificent, swirling cacophony. Oozing a riotous, grunge-infused spirit, it offers all the fuzzed-out, angst-driven power we need to motivate us through the next few months, when hopefully brighter things – and the possibility of live music – will be on the horizon.

Of the track, the band explain:

“’Wait In The Dark’ is a direct and visceral reaction to the turbulent political and cultural times we find ourselves in. There’s a lot of anger and passion in this song. It felt liberating to have a moment on the album where we really let loose, not allowing ourselves to be wrapped up in analytical posturing. Like with our first ever single, ‘Misery’, the track started off with a bass line and everything else was built up from there. We’re particularly excited about getting this one out on the road.”

Filmed remotely during lockdown and directed by Chris Tomsett (AKA Innerstrings), you can watch the psychedelic new video for ‘Wait In The Dark’ here:

‘Wait In The Dark‘ is out now. Another Life, the debut album from Hadda Be, is set for release 30th April via Last Night From Glasgow.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Luthiem Escalona

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment