Vvii is the moniker for the NYC-based solo artist Vianca Vega. Vega describes the songs on the release Juvenile as a mixture of electronic, pop and ambient sounds with a touch of jazz and Bossa nova. The constant is the clear, soothing vocals. The music to my ears has similarities to artists like Bjork, Zola Jesus and other like-minded artists.
“Millipede” is the opener and you are greeted with a dark soundscape. It’s atmospheric and is driven by a distorted sub bass and electronic drums. The song is lush and surrounds you with pads and the vocals rise like a light out of the darkness. It’s a beautiful song and a great introduction to her signature sound. “Yellow Bricks” starts with slow drums and intricate glitch-like percussion. The feeling is pensive and thought provoking while simultaneously grabbing your attention. It sounds like there are organic drums on this song which combine with the electric elements. There are also horns and piano that emerges which create a silky jazzy quality. On top of that there’s some really cool production including spliced up vocals. “Callow” is the arguable highlight. I loved the energy on this song. The song swings and the drumming is largely the reason why. That being said, the bass work really melded well. There’s also some killer guitar that’s a bit funky. The production is exceptional. I thought the vocals soared on this song. It’s arguably the catchiest song and also the most single worthy. The vocals are ambiguous and poetic but also well written. Some of the best lines was “Am I the voiceless? Inexperienced. Missed the lessons you’ve learned the hard way. Frame of reference, Fill the head spaces of all the callow like me.” “Distant” is a fantastic closer and the production that reminded me most of Bjork. The song breathes and electric elements were vital on this song. There’s a lot going on and it’s the type of song that really benefits from active listening with a pair of headphones. The lyrics could be interpreted as looking for salvation when she sings “I've built inside a shrine of hope. / Realign the mind and cope. / Can you tell me where I'm off to? / Bare all sins I cannot undo.” This is a great EP. I loved all the songs and each had their own thing to appreciate. On that note the four songs did accomplish what they needed to. I got a good impression of the artist's signature sound. I hope there’s a lot more around the corner because this is a great start.
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