RVG - Brain Worms - The Singles, Reviewed

RVG - Brain Worms - The Singles, Reviewed 

It’s generally accepted I think that the threshold of quality for opening acts is incredibly mixed. Some can be incredibly forgettable, while others leave a serious impression despite their opening slot, and after seeing them open for Billy Nomates, I see hard-edged indie shoegazers RVG falling into the latter category very comfortably. So after their set finished, I did a quick Google, and you can imagine my excitement when I saw they had a brand new album, ‘Brain Worms’, set for a June 2nd release. So of course, I had to check out the singles.

Common Ground

If you’ve never heard RVG before, I’d wager this is a very good introduction, because it showcases the band’s appeal, or at least a significant part of it, in a perfectly distilled way. The reverbed, depressive guitar leads and classically post-punky bass sound very alluring, playing some very cool melodies, and the drums still have a heft and punch to them despite the ambient sound. One could argue that perhaps the mix is a little washed out, but I think it works to its benefit. As well as a decent groove and melody switch in the chorus, the touches of what sound like 80s style, perhaps slightly bit crushed synthesizers work very effectively as an extra element of textural interest, as does the joint guitar and synth solo toward the end of the track, acting as a fittingly psychedelic and dramatic ending. The vocals are also incredibly interesting throughout. Frontwoman Romy Vager may not be the most technically proficient singer in the world, but her delivery has a serious confidence and emotional conviction behind it, as well as seemingly having a knack for crafting an unlikely ear worm on the chorus. The lyrics certainly match the tragic delivery, seemingly a frustrated lament of a growing sense of apathy in a relationship and her desperation for change, and the way it’s put across is very well done and incredibly human, for lack of a better phrase. For an opening track I’d say this ticks all the boxes.

Midnight Sun

This one is a blast of indie rock with a slightly western feel and to be honest I’m quite liking it. The guitars and opening galloping drums definitely have an ever so slight feeling of rockabilly or again western to them which I quite like, not unlike Fall tracks like ‘Nine Out Of Ten.’ As well as this, the guitar solo again is very psychedelic, enveloping, and melancholic, serving the track rather well. Underneath this, the drums and bass provide a very tight, occasionally propulsive groove, giving the track a decent momentum, and again the subtle touches of synths give it that extra ethereal glimmer. Like the last track, perhaps the production is a little too echoey, but also like the last track, the enjoyability isn’t largely affected. The vocals are a fair bit gnarlier here as well, really allowing the frustration present in the lyrics to permeate the instrumentation, and create a very nice sense of tension. The lyrics in question seem to have a slightly existential angle, where the speaker seems to be dealing with the anxieties of the modern world in combination with a lack of self confidence, made all the worse by her partner’s lack of empathy (“how can anyone be sure of themselves when the sky is turning black?”) However, regardless of this, she makes it clear that she will continue to be compassionate to him, should he want to reconnect down the line. It’s an incredibly tragic lyrical sentiment, one that the more unhinged vocals help to make all the more potent. That’s not to say they're not catchy though, as there’s quite a few very infectious melodies throughout, augmented nicely with the use of backing vocals. I’d say this one is another hit, slightly more gnarled and existential, and so may not hold the exact same appeals as the opener, but very compelling all the same.

Squid

Well, this is a slightly strange one. Don’t get me wrong there’s some really good stuff here, on balance I think it’s pretty good, but it is something very different for them, and even though I like it I’m not sure I can really make heads or tails of it, but maybe that’s good. The sonic palette of this one has a lot more swagger to it, with bursts of dark, wobbly synths complimented by an angular gothic bassline and snappy, almost disco-esque drums. It actually sounds pretty cool and lends to a kind of dark sci-fi vibe the track has as a whole. While the guitars obviously aren’t the focal point this time around, the shots of atmospheric guitars in the verses are definitely a cool addition that lend yet more to the otherworldly qualities of the track. The chorus is also very nice, with the dark blaring guitars not sounding too dissimilar to something like the recent Murder Capital album perhaps. It’s kinda wicked honestly. That being said though, while the addition of some more prominent atmospheric guitars in the bridge is decent, the stuff that it’s playing is fairly straightforward, and didn’t really warrant that section being over a minute long. Aside from that though, it’s a very interesting instrumental for sure. Where it gets a little weird is with the lyrics. The vocal performance itself plays to a lot of Romy’s strengths: it’s authoritative, dark, slightly dejected, but also melodic at the same time, particularly on the doomy chorus. So I don’t really have much to say there beyond “tick.” Anyway, as I mentioned earlier this track seems to dabble in some sci-fi aesthetics, both instrumentally and lyrically, as this song seems to be a song about someone.,. being turned into a squid. Right then. Granted, the way they frame this is quite interesting, with the speaker seemingly torn between being horrified by their transformation, but also possibly thankful for an escape from their dull, frustrating life. Admittedly, a pretty cool concept, but, given some of the pretty basic imagery being used, and the quirky sci-fi disco post-punk in the instrumental, I’m slightly undecided as to whether this track is cool, or just a little cheesy. Of course though, while I may be slightly torn on it, this is certainly not a track bereft of cool ideas, I say that with absolute certainty.

Nothing Really Changes

For a penultimate album track I reckon this would fit quite well. It’s a bit of a slow burner with a real serious New Order vibe at points, but is successful as a result I’d argue. The angular Peter Hook style bassline complimented by relatively dinky electronic drums is a sound that will always tick boxes for me for whatever reason, and like with ‘Squid’, the way they use the guitars either to simply double up the bass or act as an added bit of sonic texture is very effective. The track’s structure is also quite interesting, starting out with the electric beats and bass, then slowly adding more prominent guitars, and transitioning into a more punchy acoustic drum groove, before finally the walls of bright guitar chords burst in on the chorus. This more linear structure gives it a real sense of drama, tension and anticipation that it utilizes greatly. Vocally and lyrically, Romy seems to be operating under the mantra of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, which is fine by me. Her performance fraught with pathos, along with feelings of dejection and frustration, she once again muses on the trials and tribulations of love and loss, this time confronting the difficulty of leaving a difficult past relationship behind, while still retaining some level of feeling and wanting to remain amicable. A very well put across sentiment, with the repetition of the track’s one line refrain in particular seeming to draw attention to that want for amicability, but also the ability to move on. Very effectively done indeed. The same winning formula as before, but just elevated by an extra dose of drama.

So, when considering my expectations for the album, it seems as though RVG have put their best foot forward so far, delivering tracks that are distinctive, atmospheric, compelling, and emotional in equal measure, and so I can only hope they continue walking in the same direction for the rest of the album.