RVG - Feral
by Dixie Ernill
published: 27 / 5 / 2020
Label:
Fire Records
Format: CD
intro
Sublime second album from Melbourne-based alternative rock band RVG which may prove to be the best album to come from Australia this year
Emerging from the sun-kissed streets of Melbourne, Australia, back in 2017 with a confident debut album 'A Quality of Mercy', RVG have been making waves on the alternative scene ever since. A band clearly schooled on the rich tapestry offered up by fellow Aussies the Go-Betweens and the Triffids as well as the indie guitar bands that operated in the margins in the UK in the mid-1980s. Yet they add their own twist on things to keep the sound fresh. 'Feral' builds on the debut to push things on a notch and may just be the best album to come from down under this year. Opening with recent single, 'Alexandra', the album grabs immediately with the ringing guitar twang and singer Romy Vager's striking vocals laced with hints of Robert Forster and Brett Anderson. 'Asteroid' carries on the same hook-laden fashion, while 'Christian Neurosurgeon' has a slightly more angular new wave feel. Brando and Chrissie Hynde are named checked in the instantly catchy pop of 'Little Sharkie and the White Pointer Sisters', before, in both lyrical style and delivery, 'Help Somebody' could have been a classic Forster penned Go-Betweens song from 1987’s 'Tallulah'. The album’s highlight is the sublime break-up song 'I Used To Love You' with the angst-riddled declaration of "We’re just not the same anymore" - perfect for a million college bedrooms. 'Prima Donna' lifts the guitar hook from the Brilliant Corners' wonderful 'Meet Me On Tuesdays' and is all the better for it. 'Perfect Day' and 'The Baby and the Bottle' are both sparkling pop nuggets, the latter in particular sounding very much like a Johnny Marr number. Closing track, 'Photograph', is a slow-building seven minute epic – the ideal come down from the three and half minute pop that has gone before. Even in these strangest of times with lockdown in full swing, track down this album and dance around the kitchen. You’ll feel better!
Track Listing:-
1 Alexandra2 Asteroid
3 Christian Neurosurgeon
4 Little Sharky & The White Pointer Sisters
5 Help Somebody
6 I Used To Love You
7 Prima Donna
8 Perfect Day
9 The Baby & The Bottle
10 Photograph
Band Links:-
https://www.rvgband.com/https://www.facebook.com/RVGBAND/
Label Links:-
https://twitter.com/firerecordingshttps://www.facebook.com/Firerecords
http://www.firerecords.com/
https://firerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://instagram.com/fire_records/
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirerecordsUK
Have a Listen:-
soundcloud
reviews |
Brain Worms (2023) |
Excellent alternative pop from Melbourne-based band RVG who have created something that is familiar and new in equal measures on this third album |
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.The Church - Interview with Steve Kilbey
Simon Heavisides - Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland
Secret Shine - Interview
Vetchinsky Settings - Interview
Repomen - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Flaming Stars - Interview
Near Jazz Experience - Interview
Jack Roscoe - Interview
Sami Sumner - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Kula Shaker - Natural MagickIan Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction
Lewis 'Burner' Pugh - Bullets for Bread
Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Back in Time
Inutili - A Love Supreme
My Life Story - Loving You is Killing Me
David Cross Band - Ice Blue Silver Sky
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart