EX-VÖID – In Love Again

Description

Ex-Vöid – featuring Lan McArdle (Joanna Gruesome, Lanny) and Owen Williams (The Tubs) – return with their second LP: In Love Again. Joined by Laurie Foster (bass) and George Rothman (drums), the record sees the band flourish from a chaotic power punk group into a fully fledged pop behemoth. Taking in elements of shoegaze (Pinhead), country (Outline), 90s indie rock (In Love Again) and pretty much the entire history of guitar music, In Love Again reveals McArdle and Williams to be true students of perfect pop. 

The pair have been collaborating for a decade now, having played in Joanna Gruesome as teenagers, and In Love Again sees them both building on the sound they’ve honed together and embracing a new, unapologetic attitude towards songcraft. “We wanted to stop being cringed out by the idea of writing pop music. We’re a bit older now and not trying to remind everyone we come from hardcore/DIY scenes. It’s still there in our DNA but we wanted to see what might happen if we write the biggest bangers possible” says Williams. Backed by the tight-yet-raucous rhythm section of Foster and Rothman, In Love Again delivers as a huge pop album without sacrificing any of the hardcore propulsion that characterised the band’s first album.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Ex-Vöid sound is the sublime blend of McArdle and Williams’ vocals: close, folk-indebted harmonies which guide the listener through an onslaught of hooks. And while this is utilised to full effect on In Love Again, the album also sees McArdle make full use of their vocal range. Tunes like July and Sara reveal a set of pipes and knack for chorus-writing rarely heard in today’s indie scene. In keeping with their new sound, McArdle and Williams have taken a more autobiographical, nuanced approach to lyric writing this time around, a move influenced by touring with Waxahatchee. (The band also cover Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams – one of Katie Crutchfield’s heroes). The hints of folk and country embedded in the tunes also stretch to this new lyrical approach- storytelling and heartbreak abound.

This was helped by the fact both members had recently experienced a breakup while writing the album. “Obviously a super catastrophic breakup is useful to have,” McArdle says, “It means I can still be self-deprecating and not super sincere. But also be like: I’m in pain.” Williams agrees: “It makes you go mental and while this is a cliche – it’s definitely good for the band. And it’s interesting to compare, say, my breakup song Down The Drain to Lan’s July, because it’s two quite different perspectives but we’re each there on each other’s songs, harmonising or ripping guitar solos.”

The band’s first LP, Bigger Than Before, received positive coverage in Pitchfork, SPIN, Stereogum and others. It received airtime on BBC Radio 6, and saw the band support/tour with acts such as Waxahatchee, Speedy Ortiz and Alvvays. Williams also fronts The Tubs – whose 2023 debut saw them touring internationally and receiving plaudits from Pitchfork, The Guardian and Iggy Pop. Previous to forming Ex-Vöid, Williams and McArdle played in Joanna Gruesome who toured the US with bands like Speedy Ortiz and Perfect Pussy, were b-listed by BBC 6 music several times and won the Welsh Music Prize. Williams and McArdle are part of the Gob Nation collective – the London-based network of bands, writers and promoters who were recently profiled in The Guardian.