By John Knox
Vampire Valentine are a new duo from Newcastle, launching themselves onto the scene with retro-tinged darkwave single Olivia. This band have emerged doused in the post-punk-meets-goth-pop soup that has birthed acts like Molchat Doma and Depeche Mode. There’s an inescapable irony here, retro-gazing back from the current technocratic dystopia the oeuvre’s progenitors were originally looking towards for inspiration. We’ve gone full circle as VV plant their feet firmly on that loop with this well constructed first offering. The atmospheric synths, thumping drum machines and moody vocals are performed well, but, if parody is to be considered pastiche, I’d be keen to have more of their own identity show up in future releases.
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