Looking back at the past three years, one might ask what good could have possibly emerged from the pandemic? From a musical perspective, the birth of Birmingham-based indie pop duo Virens, the musical collaboration of James New and Louisa Connolly-Burnham, is an absolute, hands-down response to that question. In the past two months, Virens have released two brilliant, captivating singles - "Salut!" (debut single) and "Stitch Me Back Up" (latest single). This promising and emerging indie band firmly falls within the "watch this space" category.
Top notch songwriting, gorgeous melodic vocals, heartfelt lyrics and clean, balanced production are prevalent throughout both tracks. I fell in love with both of these songs at first listen - I'm excited to hear more!
Musically, "Stitch Me Back Up" comes across as warm and melodic with elegant, spacious harmony and a sophisticated buildup at the bridge. From a lyrical perspective, the track hints at vulnerability and co-dependence in a relationship, where one party carries on only when the other stitches them back up, kisses it better and shows them how to feel.
Virens was born at the height of the 2020 pandemic when Louisa, an actress from Birmingham, swiped right on James, a songwriter from Hastings. They navigated the challenges of dating in a lockdown, and eventually decided to act upon their mutual love of music, after James discovered that Louisa was a former musical theatre student. One night afer ordering takeaway with an essential bottle of Malbec, they gave it a go and wrote a song - James' 1000th and Louisa's first, "Submitted to Sin." They woke up the next morning, hungover and bleary-eyed and listened back. They loved it, and Virens was born.
Aside from these two brilliant original songs, it's also worth checking out the handful of cover videos that Virens recorded and posted to YouTube. Their cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's "Killing Moon" is outstanding.
For more information about Virens, follow the band on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) and find their music on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music.
Comments