Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen

Album review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

During the great fuzz-rock meets 60s girl group explosion of 2010/11, the music press was saturated with bands like Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, La Sera and Vivian Girls. Representing the UK in all of this were London indiepop band Veronica Falls who came to us full of promise but with their own more morbid slant on the format. Take possibly their two best known songs; one was called 'Found Love In A Graveyard' and the other was 'Beachy Head' (a notorious clifftop and suicide spot). They were making this candyfloss-coated scuzz-pop in their own style. To some this was what made them individual, to me personally, I was hoping for more melody and classic pop songs. Ironically my favourite song of theirs was a cover of Roky Erickson's 'Starry Eyes' which didn't even make the album.

For a lo-fi pop band with limited commercial appeal they did reasonably well, but where to next? More of the same? Polish up the sound to dangle a lure in front of the mainstream? Again from a personal point of view, what Veronica Falls have done with 'Waiting For Something To Happen' is to make the album I'd dreamed of them making; they put the focus on more enticing melodies and more alluring songs. They've aimed their pistol at the lo-fi pop target and shot a bullseye. They haven't compromised their DIY ethics, this is still unvarnished pop, only this time they have better songs. Songs that you can listen to again and again and again without tiring of them. Dismiss any notions you may have of this record being sickly though, they still do dark guitar-pop like the best of them.

On the perfect, seductive and captivating sugar-coated bullets front we have the thumping 'Tell Me', the classic sounding recent single 'Teenage', the potential indiepop song of the year in 'Broken Toy', the jangle-tastic title-track, the sentimental 'Everybody's Changing', the irresistible 'Buried Alive' and the reflective but optimistic 'Last Conversation'. On the darker, mysterious and mildly disturbing side of things we find the downbeat and spooky 'Shooting Star', the almost gothic 'If You Still Want Me', the distorted C86-ish 'My Heart Beats', the forlorn 'Falling Out', the at their wits' end 'So Tired' and the begging 'Daniel' - and all of these still have gorgeous melodies. Pure and simply, Veronica Falls have found the perfect balance, lived up to those expectations and produced an outstanding lo-fi pop record.







Veronica Falls' website

Buy the album

Catch them live:

FEBRUARY
14 – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich
15 – Brudenell, Leeds
25 – Harley, Sheffield
26 – CAA, Glasgow
27 – Cluny, Newcastle

MARCH
6 - Black Cat, Washington DC *
7 – Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia, PA *
8 – Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY *
9 – Great Scott, Boston, MA *
10 – Divan Orange, Montreal*
12 – The Garrison, Toronto, ON *
13 – Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH *
14 – Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL *
15 – High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI *
16 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN *
18 – Hi-Dive, Denver, CO
21 – Tractor, Seattle, WA ^
22 – Media Club, Vancouver, BC #
23 – Doug Fir, Portland, OR ^
26 – Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA^
29 – The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA ^
30 – Casbah, San Diego, CA ^

(* w/ Cold Showers, ^ w/ Brilliant Colors & Golden Grrrls, # w/ Brilliant Colors)

APRIL
16 - The Fleece, Bristol
17 - Kazimer, Liverpool
18 - Whelans, Dublin
19 - Voodoo, Belfast
20 - Deaf Institute, Manchester
23 - Islington Assembly Hall, London
24 - La Peniche, Lille
25 - Nouveau Casino, Paris
26 - Noumatrouff, Mullhouse
27 - Le Sonic, Lyon
28 - Bad Bonn, Dudingen
30 - Mascotte, Zurich

MAY
2 - Arena, Vienna
3 - orangehouse @ Feierwerk, Munich
4 – Merlin, Stuttgart
5 - Beatpol, Dresden
6 - Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
8 - Molotow, Hamburg
9 - Debaser, Malmo
10 – Pop Revo Festival, Aarhus
14 - AB Box, Brussels
15 - Paradiso, Amsterdam

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