VASA – ‘Heroics’

By Fiachra Johnston

From a thundering opening in ‘Childhood’ to a bombastic closing in ‘Settle’, VASA know exactly what they want to achieve with their second album. The Scottish post-rock outfit burst onto the scene with a widely well-received debut that, while a bit safe, slotted itself into the genre nicely. So it’s with keen interest and high expectations that folks would turn to see what was next on the agenda. Fortunately, ‘Heroics’ is a sophomore triumph, one that circumvents the gloom of post-rock and substitutes it with something the genre is sorely lacking in: optimism.

Everything, from the proficient performances by each member of the quartet, to the subtextual themes of the album (which the group describe as focusing on rebellion through “the act of embracing who we never really stopped being”), plays into that positivity. Its an insurgency against insecurity that permeates most of the album: be it the high-hope strings of ‘Expectations’, or the more predominantly subtle ‘Adolescence’, which feels like it charges up for most of the track before delivering a grandiose finish. Yet for all the energy, there’s comfort in these songs, a softness presented through a high octane delivery, and implied in its tight production.

This is only their second outing, but with the level of comfort displayed, VASA feel as though they’ve been a group for decades, be it due to how well each member fits into the picture (no track ever feels crowded, no instrument overshadows the others), or just through how much the band can distill from so little. This sense of experience through proficiency produces a result that any post-rock nerd will find enjoyment in, though this is both a blessing and a curse to the record, as it can still sometimes sink into blissful conformity to the genre, at times losing some of that unique spark that makes it such an enjoyable listen.

Still, there’s a lot to unpack in this forty-minute sprint of a record, little details that separate some songs in unique ways. The more resolute and empowering ‘Everything Is Golden’, with its chugging drumline, or ‘Mini-boss’, a low rumbling track featuring piercing guitars that even stand out amongst their instrumental counterparts like a static shock, or even ‘Victoria’, which fills space in between movements with these almost sinister sharp tonal changes. These songs may be exceptions to the album’s rules, but that doesn’t mean they stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the pack, they’re just pleasant deviances, side stories that fortunately don’t detract from the narrative VASA create over the ten tracks. 

‘Heroics’ is everything you could want from a post-rock outing: creative, technically sound, and strengthened by its emotional depth. VASA appear comfortable in their own skin, and it shows, confidence bleeding from each moment of this album. It’s hard to find your own voice in an instrumental-lead group, but VASA do take it in their stride, and deliver a record that will remain on-repeat in your library for some time.

FIACHRA JOHNSTON

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