Maybe you’re a romantic. You find beauty in tragedy. You dream of windswept moors and ruined cathedrals. Of Cathy and Heathcliff. When you close your eyes you imagine your back being pressed against a gravestone, a hand sliding up your thigh. You exist between darkness and the dying of the light. And maybe, just maybe, you like your music a little rough. ‘To Die As Lovers May’ might be the EP for you.
In the history of band names rarely has one been so perfect as Venus Grrrls. Literally the goddess of love intertwined with the attitude of the riot grrrl movement. That’s their sound, right there. They describe it as ‘Goth Grunge’ which means they power the atmosphere of dark wave and post-punk with the beating heart of a rock band. It’s a lovers’ tryst between Siouxsie And The Banshees and Guns N’ Roses and it’s absolutely intoxicating.
Thus far Venus Grrrls’ career has been like a ball at Thrushcross Grange; lively music, a great opportunity and handful of singles. The new EP is their first big push, basically showing off exactly what they’re capable of. For this reason, it opens with the single ‘Eve’. Powered by an absolutely crushing drum beat from Alannagh Doherty and a throbbing bassline from Hannah Barraclough it whirrs like a terrifying industrial machine. As Eliza Lee’s guitar saws down the centre you can feel yourself being churned up in its emotive gears. It’s a thrilling start. With the standard set so high the subsequent songs are free to explore more varied soundscapes.
Each song has its own distinct identity. So although songs like ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Wormfood’ are powered by delicious riffs they writhe and contort into different shapes. With its shimmering verses and gated drum sound ‘Mother Knows’ is evocative of dreams and memories. Brad Mair’s production captures a rich and layered sound, but it’s all about spaces and the broad canvas vocal narratives can be painted upon. As the songs ebb and flow it’s hard not to get swept into its swirling romance. The special ingredient though is the dirt, the grubby guitar tone that buries under your skin. The glistening keyboard stabs on ‘Carmilla’ give it a delightful, new romantic tone but the outro peels away into a wicked, Slash-style guitar solo giving it a dangerous, salacious quality.
GK, the band’s vocalist, has a haunting, sharp voice, like a fractured mirror. Between the powerful choruses of ‘Eve’ or ‘Evergreen’ she leans on “ah” sounds and softly hummed notes to ensnare you in her melodies but always catches you out with her reflections. There is a vampiric undercurrent to ‘Carmilla’ implying sexual tension but it’s more explicit as ‘Mother Knows’ explores the eroticism of a graveyard rendezvous, making it startlingly intense. That said, the whispered, sensual parts and soft moans on ‘Wormfood’ are even more alluring.
Beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder, it’s beneath gorgeous soundscapes, inside dirty guitar riffs and is filtered through dark romanticism. ‘To Die As Lovers May’ is an intensely bewitching EP.
IAN KENWORTHY