Vlive, Vlaugh, Vundabar

Vundabar will always be my go-to band to recommend to friends and family looking to expand their music tastes, I can never quite explain the genre they slot in to other than “interesting”. They grab every genre they can, throw it all together and produce their own style, is the best way I can describe them.

Every album is unique in its own way, from gawk’s fever-dream like tracks to the melancholy yet upbeat songs in their newest album, “surgery and pleasure”. As a music snob I usually like to claim a bands most popular song is their worst, but with this band you can see why Alien Blue’s got the love it deserved in the horror-show of 2020 tik tok. It will always remain one of my favourite vbar tracks, with nonsensical lyrics and almost haunting vocals.

Ive seen Vundabar twice now, once opening for The Front Bottoms in Birmingham 2023, I, like many others in the crowd, had never heard of them other than Alien Blues but I fell in love almost immediately. Their stage presence and setlist were encapsulating, making me a fan almost instantly. And I was lucky enough to see them again in Brighton 2024. They had an equally great show, playing many unexpected yet delightful songs and even playing a spur of the moment audience suggestion, Darla”. I remember the talks between songs fondly, specifically the story of Brandon getting a Cornish pasty exploded in his hands by a seagull. Always a good time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Brandon, lead singer, after the show, the fangirl I am I did not actually say a lot but listened to him and my friends chat. I remember a conversation about physical media stemmed from Brandon signing my friends neon yellow flip-phone (that he played with for a while), and how great it is compared to streaming. I do remember getting in a jab about the shipping prices of their vinyl’s and how theyre unavailable in the UK largely. I stand by that. And asking him to come back to the UK soon as he knew at least 3 people would come, in which he suggested doing a show in my living room, I thought this was a fabulous idea. Vbar are currently storming the US with a gawk 10 year anniversary tour that I can only pray drifts across seas and lands here.

Their newest single “death Punch” was a great hard launch. They dropped some interesting photos of the three of them, Brandon in an incredible boxing setup, Zack in a flashy suit and bow-tie, and Drew in a rather pimp-looking tracksuit. Upon seeing these random photos, with a poll attached to vote who looks most punch able (Brandon won) I knew something was bound to happen within the next week and grew excited. A day or so later they announce their new single is dropping that night – or, today?

It’s an amazing song, starting strong and throwing the listener straight into the chorus, as customary with their music I can’t quite figure out the lyrics. You never know with Vundabar if it’s the most beautiful metaphor that’s ever graced your consciousness or 3 nouns and a verb layered over a beat distracting enough to not notice (“Sick men sip sand?”). Possibly the only band that can get away with that.

Its consistently catchy, with a hammering drum beat, a newer electric sound lingering in the back, and some great bass and guitar. The whole single shows that Vundabar are still very much a band to beat in their own ways. Not many bands can replicate the magic these guys have and I think that’s a huge part of their charm. I am incredibly excited to see what emerges from this release (And their last one “Big bad bubble boy” which unexpectedly dropped around fall).

Vundabar music videos very much have a way of telling a story. From the dark cult-like essence of “Devil to the fire” (my all-time favorite MV – there’s a word doc somewhere where I have analyzed it in its entirety), the important message of vanity and its impact behind “shuffle”, and the whimsical nature of the “petty crime” video, this band will always make the music video worth watching on loop. The one accompanying “Death Punch” has Brandon getting his ass beat in the ring with comically large gloves on, and his manager and or coach Drew attempting to spur him on meanwhile Zack, the ref, watches the chaos unfold while attempting to implement some rules when he’s not fighting Drew. In a shocking turn of events Brandon wins the brawl, good for him?

The whole thing feels like a bit of a fever dream but in the true Vundabar fashion, if it’s not weird it’s not them. I’ve noticed that a lot of their music videos tend to use saturation – either overly saturated tones or under. Nothing more to say about it really I just think it makes them all the more unique.

If you take anything from this yap-session, it’s that if you are looking for an incredible new band to delve in to its Vundabar. They shine in every aspect – creatively, visually and lyrically. My personal favorite songs are “devil for the fire”, a delightfully eerie tune, “Cotton kid”, a hauntingly beautiful tune from their first album that holds one of my favorite bridges of all time and “Beta fish”, a secretly sad song detailing grief and the act of distracting yourself from feeling it.

Many thanks for reading – and help me pray for an interview sometime. You can stream "Death Punch" on all platforms now, and soon (March, I think) there will be a deluxe version of "Surgery and pleasure" - with 5 extra songs. How exciting !!

Cheers,

Eloise x