With their official break up 2 months ago, the band whose influence is felt not only as the solo acts it spawned spread their already-considerably-spread wings, but in a wider appreciation for the late 00’s noise pop band which actually had the strength of its convictions, Vivian Girls, deserve one last mention as we consider La Sera. Earlier this month La Sera released ‘Losing to the Dark’, which is not so much a gentle teaser for their new album as it is a slap across the face. It represents a change from the rich, sometimes folksy melodies of their first two albums and employs the immediacy of some of Vivian Girls’ back catalogue, but not in the same scrappy way.
The song starts with winding screeches of a distorted guitar, assured yet aggressive. The change in approach, however, doesn’t mean that Goodman’s famously golden melodies aren’t present; they lace the cocktail of distortion and darkness with glowing tunefulness. It wouldn’t take much searching to find darker undercurrents in many Vivian Girls/La Sera song but here Goodman leaves what are distinctly gothic elements out for all to see. Lines like “every moment of our lives/ is like a knife into my heart” are not ones any songwriter can leave bare without being conscious of their effects.
8/10
La Sera’s third album ‘Hour of The Dark’ will be released May 25th on Hardly Art Records.
