Music Review

Veronica Falls

Album | Veronica Falls
By Chris Payne

Scottish indie kids explore goth-punk.

Despite their oh-so-twee image, there's more to Scotland's Veronica Falls than meets the eye. On their debut LP, the quartet toss in a little straight-ahead punk energy to a collection of extremely infectious pop songs. There's a certain dark underbelly to their music (they actually played their first gig as The Draculas) when you take a moment to listen to the lyrics, which begin promptly with the coyly macabre opener, "Found Love In A Graveyard" ("We're not alone/we're living in a funeral home") and continue with a tribute to the United Kingdom's most notorious suicide spot ("Beachy Head"). Only three years into their existence (with only two EPs and a few 7-inches to their name), Veronica Falls sound incredibly tight and hook-conscious, particularly on cuts like "The Fountain" and "Bad Feeling." It sounds as if the members found influence in many of the same indie pop records that fueled The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's 2008 debut, and Veronica Falls tugs at the heartstrings in much the same way. Combined with a little teen spirit, graveyards and twee fashion seem like they were meant to be together.

TAGS: debut albums, goth, Indie, Scotland, Twee,

FACTS: Released: September 20, 2011 (Slumberland Records); Duration: 36:20

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Beachy Head