The Vida Cult - Last Night (Single Review)
The Vida cult has never been a band to break particularly new ground, but when they do what they at such a degree of success I can see why they probably don't feel the need to. This being said, the band is still maturing with a sleeker, polished, and appropriately refined sound which certainly makes them stand out on the underground circuit
The abundance of quality underground releases from the East/North Yorkshire region during the lockdown period has kept up with the seemingly infinite amount of time we all have on our hands. The Vida Cult's new single Last Night comes as another recommendation from me and something to help keep you from wasting into the void.
The Vida Cult has never been a band to break particularly new ground, but when they do what they at such a degree of success I can see why they probably don't feel the need to. Concise, three and half minute indie centric tracks, with a high degree of pop sensibility, strong musicianship, crisp production, and a decent vocal delivery. All of that is exactly what we get here as well. The production is clear as day (but great for the night time), with every instrument knowing its place and playing its part with great effect - a thick and delicious bass tone, vibrant drums, and an infectious synth melody. Everything feels more modern, sleek, and polished than they have before. The band is maturing with an appropriately refined sound which certainly makes them stand out on the underground circuit. Unfortunately, the songwriting here is not nearly as clever as what The Avenues or The Vialetters present, I would argue that The Vida Cult's strengths lay in their melodic delivery which comes from Will Kirby's stronger singing voice. This being said, I did particularly enjoy the chorus lyric "Someday I'll find the rest of my life".
In the future, I would love for Will Kirby and company find it in them to deliver something a bit more impassioned and emotionally investing or experiment with different approaches to writing songs to shake up a formula. Despite this, the consistently good standard of engaging and solid tunes the band continues to put out is enough reason to check out their new single and keep them on your radar. Moreover, they certainly deserve a place at the top of the watch list for Hull's indie circuit.
3/5 - its sad none of us can enjoy it through the speakers down at The Sesh nights, recommended for anyone who enjoys the bands below.
For fans of: The Vialetters, The Avenues, Brosnan.
Listen to the song on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/6vMLGkcEczygm0ZARABdXi
Check them out on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheVidaCult/
- Written by Joshua Ingham