Label: VKVI Records
Released: 24th January 2020
Rating: ★★★★
Vukovi have gone through a lot to get to where they are now.
‘Fall Better’, their second full-length album, is an exciting but nerve-wracking trip into the future, with pulsating electronic beats flowing through its veins.
This delving into electronic territory is a natural progression, as amongst the chunky riffs and crazy brash hooks there are a whole plethora of synthetic sounds at play. From the heavyweight rock of ‘CLAUDIA’ (which was shortly written after album one) to the trap skewed ‘White Lies’, ‘Fall Better’ is where rock and electronic meet unified, where Vukovi prove they excel in blending genres and challenging the status quo.
This album is no holds barred, too. There’s full creative freedom, which is obvious right from the get-go with eery robotic monologues (which is actually frontwoman Janine Shilstone’s voice) and techno interludes.
But most importantly, this record is a journey of self-discovery, acceptance, reflection, and freedom. Largely informed by Janine’s diagnosis of a type of OCD called Thought Action Fusion, it feels extremely vulnerable, but also enormously confident and triumphant.
Vukovi have always been a band that look out for the underdog, and that couldn’t be truer on this record. ‘Fall Better’ is the light at the end of the darkest tunnel.
