For our second pre-release peek at upcoming music today, it’s now Vatic‘s turn. The Melbourne five piece have “Departure” on the way, releasing on Thursday. The single follows on from where they left off with their Inhibition EP, which released in September.
With my review of Inhibition, I felt like there was more that Vatic could reveal of themselves, and I was keen to see what Matthew Payne (vocals), Zakary Luttrell (bass & vocals), Dylan Houston (drums), Adam Bonnefin (guitar), and Dinesh Senaratna (guitar) were bringing to the new track.
From “Departure”‘s start, with its melodic/keys introduction and vocal samples, a downward flowing sense of ache and dread hooked me in. Seeming emotionally heavy, it had me curious as to what the story behind “Departure” was. When Matthew’s vocals join in, his anguished voice combined with sombre guitar crafts a tense and anxious scene.
More still and quiet then, with the listener wrapped in ethereal tones and the vocals seeming suppressed and contained, it’s not a calmness at all but more of a numbed defeat. This leaps satisfyingly into the chorus, where Zakary’s vocals – clear, composed, but ‘I’m done’ nonethless – meld with Matthew’s, and it gives the impression of an internal wrestling match that’s ongoing.
“Am I making any sense?”
It’s a case of sink or swim, when there’s a desperate dive into the turbulent second verse. It sounds so great that I’m then torn between sinking into the impressive waltzing waves of instrumentation or focusing on every word said. With many layers of sound intertwined, the protagonist seems to be metaphorically thrown around by life; feeling not heard nor understood, and has no means of getting a solid grasp upon anything.
Enunciated stomps of rhythm feel like side-to-side thrashes, and (YES, Vatic!) the subsequent melting of singing in a fogged landscape is brilliant to my ears, as is the following entwining of voices. Numbedly continuing forward, the determination of persisting “with heavy hearts of gold” culminates in a stomping, dragging, leaden end to “Departure”.
“Departure” is a really great mix of intense and emotive moments of heavy music, as well as melodic wonderings of what lies ahead. I’m down with this combination, and can see those choruses finding their way in my head.
Stay tuned for Thursday and pre-save “Departure” for streaming here: https://ditto.fm/departure-vatic
