EP REVIEW: To Die As Lovers May – Venus Grrrls
After what has felt like years of teasing through singles, we have finally got a release of an EP from one of the UK’s most exciting and upcoming bands: VENUS GRRRLS. To Die As Lovers May is a collection of five punk bangers where you can indulge to your hearts content on songs packed with great riffs, massive beats and great lyrics as you yearn for sweaty mosh pits in intimate venues as we are taken at breakneck pace from start to finish.
Opening track, Eve shows how VENUS GRRRLS mean to go on. Its a scintillating track that erupts from the get go. From an earworm of a chorus to its ferocious music, this opening track has it all. And the best part of this song? It is absolutely impossible to remain still whilst listening to it as its seductive manner pulls you in. For those who have grown up in a religious household and have since abandoned religion, the rebellious nature of this song will absolutely speak to your soul. As far as opening tracks go as well, it doesn’t get better than this. There’s a section after the second bridge that builds and builds into one of the best riffs you’ll hear all year as it explodes into anarchy with you pulling a stank face to boot.
Second track Carmilla slows the tempo of the EP, this time employing an almost heavy rock style about it. There is an ethereal and witchy feel to this, which is perfect with Halloween just being round the corner as it tells the story of a lesbian vampire romance, inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s gothic horror of the same name. It looks at the seductive nature of vampires, how they entice you with something that is everlasting, as you question whether or not you should accept it and live with the consequences or reject it and live with the thought of what could have been. The song itself was recorded in an abandoned church in the Spanish mountains too, so it scratches the Gothic itch you are desperately searching for.
Mother Knows follows on and it oozes coolness. Its slow beats create the perfect balancing of chugging riffs and whispered vocals which draw you in more and more to the world of VENUS GRRRLS. It has a great anthemic nature to it that just feels massive from start to finish as the vocals go for dizzying heights and stick the landing as it evolves into a crashing sonic bombardment of beautiful riffs before reaching its end. Everything about this EP feels genuine too, VENUS GRRRLS are very much a band that know what they want and goddamn it, they’re gonna go out and get it.
Penultimate track, Evergreen sees the band once again reaching for loftier heights with their sound and spoiler alert, they once again succeed. Whilst it doesn’t rely on the heaviness of other songs, it quickly becomes its own as it expertly weaves between subtle verses and huge choruses that are going to sound incredible live and will easily bring the electric nature of this record into a live setting. The wonderfully titled Wormfood brings this EP to its wonderful conclusion. Again the huge sound remains for this track which combines beautifully with the hypnotic and ethereal vocals that make VENUS GRRRLS stand out amongst the rest. It does feel like two different songs in one. The first half has this otherworldly element to it that works well with the band’s spooky vibe they have going on. The second half of the song however sees the rockier element returning as the pulsating guitars come back in full force as the song builds and builds to its huge ending, the vocals feel like a spell is being cast on you and makes you want more. And as it finishes, you are almost spellbound to start the whole thing over again.
To Die As Lovers May is one of the best debut releases you’ll hear all year. If this is the quality on display for an EP, then the future of VENUS GRRRLS is going to be a special one. Whatever comes next, whether it be another EP or a full album, will surely send VENUS GRRRLS into the stratosphere of modern rock music, and we for one, cannot wait for what comes next.
Rating: 9/10
To Die As Lovers May is set for release on October 16th via Killabop.
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