Obviously distraught by the result of the EU referendum, lets hope VANT can take some consolation from the positive reception their debut EP release teaser- ‘Karma Seeker’ has had. Following on from last release ‘Fly By Alien’ (which I was lucky enough to bag on fluorescent green vinyl on Record Store Day), ‘Karma Seeker’ shows another side to the band which has gone so far un-seen on the band’s previous releases and hints at an exciting future.
Beginning with a slow paced acoustic chord pattern, it is immediately evident that this track breaks free of the VANT mould. Although I usually try to avoid such un-imaginative comparisons, it is difficult to avoid mentioning the Kurt Cobain-esque vocals from Mattie Vant. This grunge feeling is an ever-present theme which runs throughout the song; a progression from the band’s more usual punk alignments. Grunge itself was best categorised as combining the raw edge of punk with the slower tempos and more complex instrumentation of heavy metal, and so this development could be seen as the natural next step for VANT. Punchy choruses feature a kind of call and response effect between vocals and all other instruments, and work an interesting contrast between verse and chorus into the song. Just after half-way through, the music is stripped back, before gradually building back up into a prolonged chorus to round the song off into a fitting conclusion.
‘Karma Seeker’ is extremely promising for VANT; in my opinion more promising than anything else so far. My only criticism of the band up until now has been that I believed if they were to release an album then we would see too little variation from track to track. Now my fears have completely vanished. ‘Karma Seeker’ has proved that VANT have more in their locker, and can provide a more diverse musical display. If the rest of the EP can live up to the high standard that has now been set, then VANT deserve to reach even greater heights.
See the new video for ‘Karma Seeker’ here.
KARMA SEEKER EP TRACKLISTING:
1. KARMA SEEKER
2.WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF BERNERS LEE
3. JESUS WAS A CONMAN
4. BIRTH CERTIFICATE
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