It’s a little over a year since Derry’s Wonder Villains dropped their infectious debut, Zola. Since that the four piece have received airplay both here and the UK for the follow up, ‘Ferrari’. Now they’re back with a new EP due for release on October 29th.
The first noticeable thing about Wonder Villains is just how upbeatand danceable their music is. You can almost see them smiling as the song plays. The title track of the EP, ‘TV’ is a home for indie guitars, clever synth sounds and driving rhythms and a production that deserves a decent set of speakers to listen on. Beautiful sunshine indie pop.
Another memorable aspect of Wonder Villains’ sound is lead singer, Eimear Coyle’s vocals. Whether low and raspy or giving it welly, Coyle has a unique tone which immediately makes WV distinguishable.
‘Chiller Whale’ isn’t as in your face as it’s predecessor but again it’s danceable and features a subtle bass line and handclap ‘ooh ooh’ refrains that will have you singing them all day. It also seems to be the introduction of a slightly more mature sound for the Villains. This is continued with ‘Rapid’ which has a nice arrangement of piano over a drum machine beat, giving a slight home recording feel to the track. Coyle’s vocals here are slightly effected and the synth laden track builds near to give an almost understated end.
‘Explode’, the EP’s final track again shows the diversity that Wonder Villains have. Piano, acoustic guitar and vocals combine for absolutely beautiful results. This is so different from anything else we’ve heard from WV, it’s one of those haunting songs that will become a fan favourite and there’s possibly a future soundtrack with this on it. It’s a joy to hear the ambient sound of the vocal booth, little breaths, lip smacks (is that a chair creak at the end?), instead of intentional gateing of these sounds. Beautiful.
This EP tells us a lot about Wonder Villains, they’re still in their late teens and have progressed a lot since their first single. It can be hard to maintain a consistent high level of songs, especially when you are a song band or act. This is another step up the ladder for WV, a debut album can’t be too far away now. Definitely worth a listen.
‘TV’ EP is released on October 29th through No Dancing/Third Bar.
Just as the evenings are getting longer and darker, Wonder Villians have come along and brightened up our stereos. The Derry based band are an aural pleasure and Zola is a delightful introduction to the band.