Red Vanilla: Where I Should Be album review – Polished indie rock
Dundonian quartet balance shoegaze textures, goth intensity and 90s alt.rock swagger
Dundonian indie quartet Red Vanilla are self-confessed perfectionists, which might explain why it has taken over 18 months to follow up their debut EP Days Of Grey. They have been industrious with their time, however, drip feeding all the tracks from Where I Should Be before gathering them together on this cohesive showcase of their dynamic if derivative indie rock sound.
Like its predecessor, Where I Should Be was home-recorded with producer Kieran Smith, this time in the spare room of guitarist George Weller’s flat; but there is nothing DIY about the sound which is slick, muscular and professional. Opening track ‘Electric Blue’ sets the tone: the gentle spoken word flow of the verse, soft shoegaze drone and fingerpicked guitar lull the listener before a monolithic indie prog riff hits, propelled by rumbling bassline and athletic drumrolls to push the track to its crescendo. In contrast, ‘Hazy’ is straight to the point alt.rock, all mountainous drums and clanging guitars.
‘Ask Her If She’s Happy’ develops into a torrid goth maelstrom with singer Anna Forsyth appealing for understanding on mental health. ‘I Thought I Had It’ is all momentum with churning guitars and fleet drumming, then the briefest of drops before it roars playfully to its conclusion with a crash of cymbals. Next, they take a breath on recent single ‘Sunkissed Pools’, with its acoustic guitar, glassy synths, fragile vocals and coming-of-age concerns dovetailing nicely into the post-teen angst of ‘Oh No, I Got Older’, arguably the strongest showcase of their 90s alt.rock influences.
Red Vanilla: Where I Should Be is released by Assai Recordings on Friday 8 May; picture: Rachel Roams.