Poetic post-hardcore band VVOMEN (pronounced “wim-in”) have recently a music video for the EP’s first single “Cadence and Carousel”, a lumbering punk song complete with giant papier-mache heads (yes, you read it right), and now they have a full debut EP Moving On available for our listening pleasure. Although their press release and some reviews say they draw comparisons to TOUCHE AMORE, AT THE DRIVE-IN, JAWBREAKER, and LA DISPUTE, they have actually managed to encompass much of the range of their inspirations and well challenged the boundaries of many different styles and sub-genres. Their debut proves them a tricky band of hearty artists with no question of their emotionally loaded artistry. We asked them to talk us through “Moving On” track-by-track.
The earnest, speak/shouting style vocals on “Moving On” are emotional, but not emo. The music is angular and lurching, but unabashedly melodic and catchy. It was produced/engineered by Pat Hills at Earth Tone Studios (TERA MELOS, SHARKS) and is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.
Continued below…
Catching Flies – This song describes a really unhealthy relationship. One that simply can not work, but, for some reason, you keep trying to make it work. Many of us have been there before – often times our first real relationship. It’s hard to accept it when it ends and so you would do anything you can to get it back. In this case, it isn’t the first time. Starting with the words “why have I not learned anything?” we come into this story knowing this has happened before, and ending with the phrase “I’ll be all yours” we know the lesson remains unlearned.
Cadence and Carousel – True love, and the feeling of anxiety that lies between success and failure. There’s a great number of things that a couple thinks about during their traditional first dance; this song speaks to that whirlwind of emotions. Promising yourself to someone is a tall order, so it’s understandable to have doubts about what you can provide.
Blueprints – There are two distinct halves to this song. The first half is inspired by a quote by Elon Musk where he stated: If we’re on a sinking ship “…and we have a great design for a bucket… We should probably share the bucket design.” The second half is another broken heart story about bettering yourself in order to live a better life. Lyrically, this was meant to be two different songs that we would play back-to-back. Eventually, we dropped the second title and the two songs became one. The second song was originally titled Rebuild.
Bad Grammar – This is the angriest song on the list. It takes place at the very moment you realize a relationship is over. I have changed quite a bit as a person since last I’ve felt this way, but these deep thoughts still found their way into this song. I was a very angry kid.
Crutch and a Stoma – There’s not a big story behind this song, just a simple message to be respectful and open minded. It’s a bit random and pessimistic at times, then it becomes random and optimistic – art.
Lessons in Humility – Drinking is the main theme here, but not in the typical ‘let’s party’ fashion. It’s about drinking constantly in order to lose memories of past events; specifically, a person. The song Blueprints ends with the subject begging to not be forgotten; Lessons in Humility can’t wait to forget it all. In that way, these songs can be seen as two sides of the same, failed relationship.
