ViVii regularly appears in these columns; three times last year and once already in 2021. But when you are as good as they are at what they do you merit the attention. And they are the ABBA of what they do, which is lush, melodic, harmonic, atmospheric dream pop.
Of this song, ‘Read Between’, also to be included on their forthcoming album 'Mondays' (out May 21st through Dumont Dumont) I guess, along with the other four released over the last year, they say:
"We wanted to make a song that didn’t have any set rules to it. Just a journey song, much like a classical music score. The first bit was written in a big brick church from the 1800s somewhere in Holland. It talks about not being able to understand how the ordinary life of school, work and other social situations should be handled. It’s not easy when you feel like you’re from another planet."
I can only assume that “didn’t have any set rules to it” refers to the couple of false endings they threw in. Otherwise it is a well-structured piece, built around two simple guitar riffs. It’s the second one that is so representative of what ViVii is about as Emil Jonsson seems to be practicing his scales in a manner that is both distinctive and close to anthemic by the time it ends, complemented as it often is by a Phil Spektor - like wall of sound.
I rounded off the last review by saying the day they drop a bad track it will push viruses and U.S. politics off the front pages. Both of them have thankfully gone, at least for now, but ViVii still haven’t failed to come up with the goods.