How great it is to watch a band grow. I first heard instrumental rock quartet Vasa back in 2012, an off-the-cuff discovery I made from trawling the deep troughs of Bandcamp. Never Have Dreams had this powerful, monolithic sound, exactly what I needed at that time in my life. No vocals; just instruments bellowing out the narrative.
Seven years on, the band have risen up the ranks in the UK instrumental/post/math/niche scene. There was Colours. There is the John Niblock toilet graffiti. Suddenly, that random band I found on the off-hand whilst procrastinating writing a PhD has become part and parcel of a ever-expanding scene.
But it’s probably more than that. Vasa may well take pole position with the way that they are headed. Their upcoming album Heroics has all the signs of a rich, multi-textured instrumental record, an impetuous burst of creative energy. Their new single ‘Heroics’, which will feature in the upcoming album, offers the rich, quirky and joyful instrumentation that made albums like ASIWYFA‘s Gangs and Alpha Male Tea Party‘s Droids the overnight cult hits they are. The aim is sonic indulgence. And Vasa are doing it well.
VASA’s second LP ‘Heroics’ will be released on the 21st of February next year.