ALBUM REVIEW: Fall Better – Vukovi

After a remarkable debut self-titled album, VUKOVI have certainly made their name for themselves back in 2016. The Scottish band scored a number of hit songs from that album and landed onto the scene with their heavy rock mixed with stunning melody. Fast forward to 2020, and the band has halved their members to Janine Shilstone and Hamish Reilly, and have since been teasing new music. That hard work has paid off in the creation of their sophomore album, Fall Better. But how has their music developed for this new release?

Musically and lyrically, there is certain improvement and development within this album, especially in songs like Aura, Play With Me ‘Cos I Can Take It, All That Candy, and Where Are You. The musical ideas that are present within the album show the evolution and growth within the musicians and the mixture of rock and pop is still strong and unique. Lyrics are still strong as well, especially with songs like C.L.A.U.D.I.A., I’m Sorry, and White Lies. The interesting intro and interlude adds to the experience and makes it unique, almost like space/futuristic rock, which is always an interesting and new experience for the listener. 

There is one problem with the album, and it is sadly a huge problem; the production. It sometimes feels like the levels on each track were raised to the same level and almost washes the vocals out within the guitars and bass tracks. It does get better as the album goes on, but it’s most prominent in tracks like Violent Minds, Aura, and Where Are You. The extra reverb on the vocals can also get increasingly distracting, especially as Janine is already a good singer live and doesn’t need the reverb to disguise it within the mix. As mentioned, it does get better as the album goes on, but it is a massive and distracting problem for the album. 

Aside for that, Fall Better is a strong effort from the Scottish duo and doesn’t suffer from the sophomore slump. There are a few things that can be improved, but VUKOVI is still a strong pop-rock band that can still pull together fantastic music that people can jam and sing along to. A solid effort from a solid band.

Rating: 7/10

Fall Better is set for release on January 24th via VKVI Records.

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