Last month, we introduced you to ‘Call To Arms’, the lead track previewing the new record from UK indie rock veterans Vernons Future. Finally the day has come for that release. Titled ‘Aquaplaning’ (definition: sliding uncontrollably on a wet surface), this is effectively their second full-length record, having released their first one – ‘Smithdown Road’ – under their original name The Vernons in 1990. issued via the Probe Plus label, Melody Maker praised this as “a fine debut…in love with pop at its most unassuming and most charming”.
The Liverpool band formed in the 1980s and also toured the UK prior to recording that album. Fast forward to 2015, when the band decided to pull together again with new impetus, reforming as Vernons Future. Original members Simon Burchill, Andy Harding, Jon Fiber and Tom Le Bas were joined by Simon’s school friend Simon ‘Hoops’ Hooper and they were off to the races. Lucky us – here listeners will find elements of early Blur, Echo & The Bunnymen, Lightning Seeds, Aztec Camera and Julian Cope.
As for this new album, all but two tracks are singles that the band had released since 2019 – the others are new to this pandemic era, as demonstrated by the track ‘Seek Shelter Now’, for instance. With members now split between Oxford and London, the band’s music puts a distinctive twist on the poppier end of the indie spectrum.
“At its core, this album deals with the twists and turns of the human heart’s desires. E – it’s essentially built on love songs, but love songs that do not shy of looking at the darker side. From unfulfilled desires and ambitions (‘Waiting at the Station’), through unrequited love and control (‘Honeysuckle Love’), to fully unconditional love (‘Just Can’t Help Myself’), it’s the examination of love, longing (and regret) that gives the album its beating core,” says frontman Simon Burchill.
“But you cannot live on love songs alone, right? ‘Holy Joe’ ponders the beauty and magnificence of religious architecture, all the while remaining uneasy about the nature of religion itself. There’s also joy to be found in our love of cinema, and specifically those classic old sci-fi movies from the 50’s that dealt with other big issues of the human condition (‘B Movie’). We let our paranoia out of the box too on lockdown worrier ‘Seek Shelter Now’, which repurposes nuclear war fears (although we guess those are back now, anyway) for the pandemic age. And album closer ‘Disco Oasis’ finds Vernons Future in a Madchester-era northern nightclub and loving it!”
As of October 7, the ‘Aquaplaning’ LP is available on CD and digitally via Apple Music and Spotify. Both formats can be ordered via Bandcamp. The band have a handful of concerts lined up, including an album release show in Camden (London) at Fiddler’s Elbow on October 22 and at Belfast’s Pavilion Bar on October 29.
CREDITS
Simon Burchill – vocals, guitar
Jon Fiber – keyboards, vocals
Andy Harding – guitar
Simon ‘Hoops’ Hooper – bass
Tom Le Bas – drums
Recorded by Vernons Future at their studios in London and Oxfordshire
Mastered by Jon Fiber
Lyrics by Simon Burchill, except for ‘B Movie’ and ‘Seek Shelter Now’ (lyrics by Andy Harding)
Music by Vernons Future (Simon Burchill, Jon Fiber, Andy Harding, Simon Hooper, Tom Le Bas)
Single cover imagery by Alex Conchillos and Pixabay
Album cover by Andy Harding
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