Album Cover
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia the three-piece band consists of Vanessa V on guitar and vocals, Erica E on bass and vocals, and Shelly K on drums and vocals. Their genre is hard to define because it is a blend of heavy garage rock, dirty pop and punk. If I had to describe Valentiine’s sound it would be a reincarnation of heavy 90’s rock with a dark and edgy twist.
Previously reviewing their two singles Chucky and Beauty Lies, I now get the full taste of their grunge rock in the shape of their new self-titled album. I think that Valentiine will be one of the most promising bands to emerge this year. Their new album toys with warped emotions like passion and seduction and every other dark emotion that lies in-between.
Love Like is a terrific rock track that was released as a leading single; the song is infectious and packed with energy. The song begins with an electric guitar and it then heightens into a catchy melody accompanied by drums. The song is a good opener for the album because it grips your attention with the vocals of Vanessa V and her way of mixing attitude and musicality to create the perfect melodic seduction.
Chucky is a single that I have reviewed before and my opinion hasn’t really changed by me listening to it a second time. It's an upbeat track powered by electric guitar riffs and masking vocals and it is the perfect song to describe a hangover.
The third track on the album is titled Birthday, with a sombre melody and raspy vocals this song is haunting to say the least. I don’t think it is the lyrical best but it does have a lasting effect. Finch is the next track on the album and is just as haunting as the track before titled Birthday.There is a memorable guitar riff in the background fading behind the screaming vocals and intense emotion.
When You Want starts with a repetitive chorus, ‘When you want and you will get it when you want.’ The song is a little slow in places and lacked the same power that Love Like and Chucky did. Hates Me is the sixth track on the album and a little repetitive and similar to the other tracks but you can still feel the passion behind Vanessa’s vocals and I really liked the baseline behind the melody.
Never Forget You is different from the other tracks on the album, even though it still has the haunting edge to the sound the vocals and the melody is much softer, which creates a nice contrast to the other tracks on the album. Animal picks up the pace again as we hear the gritty tone behind Vanessa’s vocals and the dark and grungy melodies.
Better For Me has a unique introduction, with an individual fingerpicking electric guitar riff as the soft percussion f he drums sneaks in. Vanessa shows the softer side to her harsh vocals in the beginning of this track.
Kick It has quite a long intro, which is a catchy combination of electric guitar riffs and soft drum beats. Again we hear the quiet sounds of the vocals easing us into the song, the chorus then kicks in and the powerful vocals prevail.
The last track on the album is titled Today’s Tomorrow and is a little dreary in places, I understand what the band are trying to do by contrasting the powerful tracks with the softer ballads but I think they should stick to the overpowering powerhouse tunes because it suits their sound and of course it suits Vanessa’s voice.
About three quarters through the song we receive the powerful vocals we were waiting for but by that time the dreary vocals overshadowed by the melody has already slipped away from me. Even though the last track is my least favourite on the album, it shows that the band can create diversity in their sound.
The song Beauty Lies was released as a single but obviously didn't make it on the album which is a shame because I really enjoyed the sombre guitar melody contrasting with the haunting vocals.
Their songs hold narratives of everyday life and situations, they express their honestly and often resort to a dark mischievousness. The Valentiine manage to recreate the original heavy 90’s rock and turn it into something beautiful. Even though all of the tracks on the album are not to my taste, I praise the band by taking risks to create a concoction of soft rock ballads with powerhouse anthems roaring with attitude and passion.
Their new album is available on Itunes now.
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