Artist Spotlight: Vaults

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Surrounded by a certain self-imposed mystique, Vaults are new electronic 3-piece who are really making waves at the moment with some stellar single releases.  Yet, with regards to any mystery around them as with always if any publicity theatrics, if the songs aren't up to scratch then it is useless. Luckily for them, as with bands like MONEY, their songs are very good indeed.


Their style comprises of immersive and provocative pop-songs built around the outstanding vocals of Blyhte whose sound is reminiscent of talented singers such as Zola Jesus. The electropop trio manage to avoid many of the pitfalls of their genre; neither allowing the vocals to dominate at the expense of interesting musicianship, nor creating functional dance music.


A prime example of this is their current release - Cry No More. Starting with chiming bells and Blythe's floating vocals it moves into a beautiful pop song complemented by lush strings and choice piano chords. As the pulsing synths and thudding percussion cuts in, it moves up a gear, becoming a full-blooded song on a scale that has echoes of Florence and the Machine.


The haunting and stunningly shot video which accompanies the track is like some twisted Brothers Grimm fairytale; the perhaps unwholesome subject matter of death beautifully placed within a gorgeous setting, moving between the browns and oranges of the sunset and the misty mornings with shafts of light cascading through the trees. A worthy framing to a more than worthy track.

If you're not too keen on the mystery of the bands you follow then a slightly more intimate view of the band can is provided in interviews such as this one with Hunger TV as well as their Tumblr - which more and more becomes yet another creative output for artists to share their thoughts and inspirations outside of the confines of their music.


Their output has seen a steady stream of EPs (Vultures EP, Cry No More EP) as well as several singles. Aside from this, it is nice to see bands willing to take on covers alongside their original releases, as a great cover can be just as proficient and impassioned as that done by the origional artist. Vaults do this in style in their cover of 'Hunger of The Pine', a stand out highlight in what was for many a lacklustre follow up to Alt-J's debut 'An Awesome Wave'.


Vaults also turn their attention to remixing other artists songs - a medium some prefer to stay away from - yet Vaults as always seem to pull it out of the bag with their gritty house-influenced cover of Distant Past by Everything Everything, the band their supported earlier this year. *

*Everything Everything's new album 'Get To Heaven' will also be featured in the upcoming lookback at this year's stellar and not so stellar album releases





However, for me, my favourite release of theirs is 'Lifespan'. It was the first track I heard from them whilst trawling through the depths of Hype Machine. With similar instrumentation to 'Cry No More', it is has a beautiful chorus which really allows Blythe's defining vocals to hold your attention before diving back into the electronic ambience of the synths and drum machines.


All in all Vaults are very much a band that should be on your radar; with enough material and enough publicity they could well be moving from the fringes of the 'braking music' scene and fulfilling their potential which is exemplified in their current songs in bucketloads.



Upcoming live shows

Aug 8        Boardmasters Fistral Beach    Newquay GB    Tickets

Aug 21      Lowlands Festival    Biddinghuizen NL    Tickets

Aug 22      Dockville Festival    Hamburg DE    Tickets

Aug 28      Reading Festival    Reading GB    Tickets

Aug 29      Leeds Festival    Leeds GB    Tickets

Nov 11      Koko    London GB    Tickets