Record Review: Viruette's Your Lacuna
This record is ridiculously good. That's it. That's the subtitle.
I never thought I’d use the terms “surprise prog” and “Bossa Nova Mario Kart trumpet jams” in the same review, but to be fair I had never previously considered either of those terms at all. Your Lacuna— the debut record from Boston’s Viruette that arrived on Friday June 14th— doesn’t just defy being stuck in a box: it laughs in the box’s face with a mouth full of loaded tater tots. A wise person once said that you can’t be doing it wrong if no one knows what you’re doing, and the best thing about bands that really shake it up like this is that by virtue of not confining themselves to genre expectations, they can fit in a lot of places.
Early commentary in my notes: “Oh wow, this is really fucking good. I’m about 4 minutes into this record and I’m sold.” Not that I’d have a choice since I preordered it a couple weeks ago. Joke would have been on me if it turned out to be not good. I love preordering things because my brain is a pinball machine overgrown with magnetic morning glory vines and *I completely forget that I’ve preordered something almost every time. Exciting! Thank you, Bandcamp, from not letting me purchase the same things twice. Sometimes I think that I spend too much money on Bandcamp but I don’t do drugs or collect Funko Pops so maybe it evens out?
Don’t think too hard about that one.
You’re already doing it. Great.
Viruette is Harry Burgess (Harry Bee): guitar/vox/keys/lil’ mandolin in there; George Heffernan: bass/vox/saxophone/melodica/Wurlitzer!; and Andrew Ring: drums. They’re from Boston, like Boston-Boston one state over from me, and I’m perturbed, disgruntled even, that I hadn’t heard of them until Ken over at If It’s Too Loud reviewed their track Big Fat Nothing a little while back. Thanks, Ken! Clearly I missed a memo because as I look around online now I see plenty mention of the band’s earlier singles in sources I tend to follow. I dunno, man.
Viruette self-describe as “transatlantic indie rock” on Bandcamp which I can dig. “Indie rock” isn’t wrong but there are so very many side quests on this record. There’s a bit of jazz. There’s some surprise prog and Bossa Nova Mario Kart trumpet jams, as mentioned. There’s a little 80s telephone hold music feel in there at some point. Do a few passages dare flirt with up-tempo desert rock? Oh they dare. Can I say “up-tempo desert rock” without inciting a fuzzed out riot? Critically, none of the feel changes on Your Lacuna feel forced or out of place at all.
You Are The Belletrist, the first full song on the record, really sets the tone for what you’re getting into. The first three minutes-ish of this track are already an exciting and engaging train of a song and then YO WHAT’S UP HERE COMES THE CABOOSE with a series of aggressive instrumental passages knocking things around for the last minute and a half. I’m always a sucker for a little studio banter commentary left in the mix and the “FUCK!” “Now I’m just getting tired” at the end of this track really resonates. Also, today I learned the word belletrist. Look at that! At first listen, I caught what I’m assuming (fingers crossed) is an intentional Beauty and The Beast reference in “I am the beast in your immediacy/You are the belletrist in me.” Well played. I do wish that the lyrics had been included on the Bandcamp page, but I decided to be the change I wanted to see in the world and just messaged the band to ask if they’d share them with me. They did! That’s how I found the line “Am I a beast or a beauty?” tucked into the song Detach. HmMmMmmMmMm. Now I’m going to go back and listen to the whole record again, imagining that it takes place in the Disney movie. Mrs. Potts had better be there or I’m gonna be pissed.
Viruette: cryptic Disney adults? More at 11.
I’m really digging the vocals on this record. Largely crisp and clear, up front and intelligible, which is rarer than you’d think. I like that there are some effects thrown in there (like the distortion-or-overdrive on Faceblind) without being overused. Harry’s tone and delivery are conjuring something to mind and I think it might just be my brain combining a little Dent May and Clint Conley of Mission of Burma with Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys. I’m not linking you to Arctic Monkeys. You’ve heard Arctic Monkeys.
Musically, everyone in this band is more than pulling their weight. Fist bump to those who recorded and mixed as well; 10 points for the big live drum sound opening Something For The Dread II. Just for that, I’m going to forgive what I’m pretty sure is **flange on that trumpet. Nothing personal. Flange is my unibrow baby.
Viruette will be celebrating the release of Your Lacuna on Saturday, June 22nd at Deep Cuts in Medford along with Today Junior (hell yeah they’re awesome!) and Good News (hell yeah I don’t know them yet!). You can get tickets here. I’ll be the one with the cool glasses.
Bands I nominate for band friendship with Viruette:
~RMSC
*I did actually remember that I’d preordered this one.
**The trumpet sounds great. Flange could bake me a pie and I’d still shit talk it.