“Day after day, alone on the hill/the man with the foolish grin/ is keeping perfectly still”. The lyrics of the Beatles’ classic simply popped into my mind the moment I saw the title. This is at least the third time we’ve featured ViVii this year as they release what is for them the third preview track from their so far untitled second album which itself is due for release in late spring 2021. They aren’t the Beatles but in their own way the quality of their output is equally high.
The supporting press release paints a picture of something that is both nostalgic and future-facing;pre-Seventies and post-2020. I don’t know about post-2020 because no one knows what little delights await us there but ‘pre-seventies’ nails it. In some of the chords, melody and especially the opening bars there is a strong hint of the Beach Boy’s 1966 version of ‘Sloop John B’, another timeless classic.
What ViVii are about, and pardon me for repeating myself here, is the harmonies. As usual Caroline and Emil’s are divine and as for the bridge which kicks in at about 2:50, well I’m lost for words, and that doesn’t often happen.
Speaking about the track they say it's about "A Teenage love that keeps you hospitalised. A buzz that you can’t and don’t want to get out of." I recommend sticking with the missionary position.
As for the production, this time Anders Eckeborn has got it just right. Forgive me for dragging it up again but I can’t forget the chugging farm tractor which intruded violently on the first album preview song, ‘Summer of ‘99’, but in all fairness the production here is Grammy class.
'Fool Alone' is available from today, Wednesday December 2nd.
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