By Maria Gotay
Last weekend I bounced over to Brooklyn Fire Proof for a drink and happened upon Vernous, an electronic band from Brooklyn, who impressed me with their unapologetic performance. The dance-thrash duo featured loud, growling drums and female lead singer who pumped out beats between urgent strings of vocals. Falling somewhere near to the electro-noise vibes of Crystal Castles and embodying hints of the kooky, cultish performance quality of someone like Yacht, Vernous is off to a great start in Brooklyn. They perform (exclusively) with visual effects guru Grey Matter, who stood out on his own for beautiful video installation that made the perfect backdrop for the night.
Compared to the intense, industrial sounds coming from the stage at Fireproof, their 3-song ep, Vernous, is a surprisingly mellow listen on bandcamp. Smooth, surging rhythms pave the way for a nostalgic set of songs that feels more nostalgic than urgent. The sheer different between their wild, dark performance and these personal, thoughtful tracks leaves the trace of a question mark in my mind. They not only mix genres that have found their way into the Brooklyn scene recently- lo-fi, noise, industrial, experimental- but also find a lot of soul in simple rock-based hooks and the addition of an array of instruments, from synth to viola .
Vernous plays next March 3rd at 316 Seigel’s Manifesta Loft. RSVP on facebook.
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