Album Of The Week: Everything Is A-OK, Violent Soho Are Back

Four years on from Waco, seven from Hungry Ghost and over a decade since their self-titled work and We Don’t Belong Here, Violent Soho are finally back with a new album. Dubbed Everything Is A-OK, the band’s fifth album is their most self-assured yet – the lyrics mature and autobiographical, the playing confident.

What we're saying...

★★★★

Review by Emily Blackburn. Read more here...

"Violent Soho’s Everything Is A-OK gets off to an explosive start with opener Sleep Year with its thrumming guitars and smashing drum lines. It's swiftly followed by the gritty melodies of Vacation Forever, bringing with it daydreams of a cool crisp summer's afternoon. The pressures of modern expectations are heavily felt throughout tracks Pick It Up, Lying On The Floor and Pity Jar, all of which lyrically navigate the exhaustingly constant cycle of being beaten down by life over and over again, with lyrics such as  'Feelings never stay the same/ The furniture is falling apart' featured in the latter.

"Musically dynamic, the album from the Brisbane rock outfit constantly changes pace, as songs like Slow Down Sonic’s reverberated guitar plucks and slides emanate a softer tone, complimented with the brash vocal stylings of singer Luke Boerdam. They work just as well on the flip side, as Shelf Life’s chaotic construction brings Violent Soho’s maniacally twisted grandeur to the forefront. As the album is wrapped up in a slightly battered and bruised package, final track A-OK is the shiny red bow on top, a reminder that despite the noise, 'Everything is a-ok.'"

What they're saying...

Everything Is A-OK brings with it a new era of Violent Soho. The Music's Jessica Dale spoke with the band’s Luke Boerdam and James Tidswell, manager Nick Yates and label head Johann Ponniah to find out what’s different this time ‘round.

Fans can expect a more laid-back feeling from Everything Is A-OK, as Boerdam explained: “I guess there was this – how to describe it – this more comfortable and confident feeling without having to scream over the top of everything, and this idea of a song where you don’t have to constantly bash into a wall and scream out."

On the benefits of taking their time between albums, Boerdam noted: “We just gave ourselves so much more breathing room. With Waco, there was pressure. There was literally [recording] dates before songs, and when you’ve got dates before songs, you’re making decisions to meet that. I think a great record came out of Waco, I’m really proud of that record but this time there was literally absolutely no pressure to even be a band anymore."

I OH YOU label founder Johann Ponniah, who signed the Brisbane group back in 2012, said Everything Is A-OK is “very much about Soho just being Soho”. “It's very much about just allowing the four members of Violent Soho to be themselves, and we found that's what people gravitate towards.”

Read the full story here.

The Green Room Podcast with Neil Griffiths

Guitarist James Tidswell joined this week's The Green Room Podcast with Neil Griffiths to talk all about the record; check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts (below) or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Give the album a listen below!