(Bella Union,2011)
at last, the debut album from london's indie pop sensations veronica falls. the album is full of joyous and bouncy poptastic nuggets with meltingly beautiful female / male melodies and something considerably darker that tugs at your heart.
Fans may already be familiar with the likes of “Graveyard” and the galloping Dick Dale meets Nico surf rocker “Beachy Head” (an ode, naturally, to the infamous suicide hotspot), but also present and correct is an expanded sound and emotional palette only hinted at in the past – albeit one which is always grounded in the shadows . “Right Side Of My Brain” is a snarling and vicious beast, all sharp hooks and barbed wire, while “The Fountain” is more gloriously morose yet achingly beautiful pop, with these duelling contrasts reaching its gorgeous epitome on the astonishing “Misery”, as Clifford sings, “Misery/ It’s got a hold of me/ misery/ my old friend” while, all around her, melting harmonies and chiming guitars ring out, before ending abruptly in an eerie verse sung entirely acapella. Elsewhere, the brightly scrubbed “Stephen” may be one of the most touching declarations of friendship ever, while “The Box” is a bona fide indie anthem in the making. Finally, “Come On Over” makes for a poignant album closer, with its simple yet affecting refrain of “Hey, it’s getting colder/ come on over/ until the summer/ until we’re older”. With their debut album, Veronica Falls have crafted a brilliantly concise, superbly concentrated hit of spiky, marvellously contagious indie pop with a twist – these are songs which will lodge themselves in your head as well as your heart, with style and attitude to burn.
