The Vanities showcase a wild instrumentation on album, "2001"
The synth kings of Cardiff have completely blown us away with their massive new album, 2001. Please read on for our full analysis on The Vanities’ record, as well as a much needed refresher on the band.
Originally formed in 2001 and coincidentally naming their new record after the year, The Vanities have showcased their immense instrumental skills on an album that we’ve quickly grown to love. Just released on November 26th, the merging of 90’s grunge and 80’s synth pop is clear, but they’ve also modernized themselves for the new world. Without a doubt though, we can’t wait for everyone to dive head first into this.
With influences coming from David Bowie, Nirvana, U2, and plenty more once you start listening, 2001 is so much more than just an instrumental anomaly. What we’ll urge before you get into it, is that the lyrics are not to be overshadowed in the slightest. In fact, you can find passages of the record that cover themes of love, war, madness, and mortality. The toughest part of this listen is trying to not to dance too hard while making those lyrical connections, however it’s a problem definitely worth having.
Coming in at 11 perfectly well rounded tracks, an immediate cohesiveness washed over us after our initial listening experience. While there are definitely singles like “London” or the opener “Dropping a Bomb” that could be cherry picked onto playlists, so much of what we enjoyed was that overwhelming album experience that seems to be a lost art these days. Instead of meandering genre wise, The Vanities so clearly went into this album creation with distinct thoughts on how it would come out and actually stuck to the plan. Each song is its own little world of sound, but in the grand scheme of things, you come out of 2001 wanting more.
Of course we have to take a moment, putting aside the message of the record, and just highlight that everything sonically is 100% on point. Every member of the band gets their moment to shine, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they just sound so in sync throughout. Nothing sounds the same, yet we can’t escape that feeling of cohesiveness in sound that we’ve mentioned. However you’d like to interpret it, just know that what you’re about to listen to is exemplary.
With that being said though, don’t miss out on a seriously impressive record. You can listen, follow along, and stay tuned for more by clicking the links below. Enjoy!
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