In Loving Memory – Vixen (2019)
On March 1, 2019, In Loving Memory released a new single entitled ‘Vixen’, and damn I’m hooked. The band is from Queens, New York, and is made up of singer Naveed Stone, as well as drummer/multi-talented instrumentalist, Thomas Diognardi.
Compared to their previous EPs, Introspective and Stand My Ground, ‘Vixen’ takes on a new chapter in the band’s musical journey. Instead of having a hardcore-metal and abrasive sound, there is a smooth, yet funky blend to it.
“So proud to finally present our new single. This song is the debut of our new genre, a sound I call urban-a
Naveed Stonelternative . This is the beginning of a complete rebranding for ILM. New sound, new image, new marketing, everything. I hope you guys embrace and share this new direction and get excited for a wild 2019 from us.”
Take ‘With or Without You’ (Stand My Ground), as well as ‘Weathered’(Introspective), and compare them both to ILM’s new release. Songs from the Stand My Ground era are much rougher than songs from the Introspective era, finally, bringing us to ‘Vixen’ which, of the three songs, above is the tamest.
I highly recommend giving this song a listen. It’s often scary for bands when they make changes to their music. Artists don’t know how fans will react to their new music. Will they love it? Will they hate it? Who knows. However, I think In Loving Memory was able to change their direction and bring their listeners sounds they didn’t know they needed. The sound is actually cool.
To me, there are many different hidden genres throughout the song. They’re able to mix pop, rock (reminds me of classic rock, particularly the guitar riffs after the first chorus), as well as keeping with their previous released roots in what can only be described as bite and grit, all while being able to incorporate it in a way that’s not too strong or metal-like. There’s something familiar about this song. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it has to do with the rhythm, beat and sound of the song.
What I’m seeing more and more of nowadays is dominant bands writing from their point of view. Not that they never did, but, what I noticed from the music video is that there aren’t any actors playing the lead role. It shows what looks like the singer himself going through the motions of a relationship in which he’s unhappy. Usually, I see this when there’s a female-fronted vocalist (even then not so much), instead of males. That’s not to say I’m not wrong because there is a very good chance that I am, and just haven’t seen or recognised it until now.
I like the change. As a female, I’m biased to the way women perceive a situation/relationship. Having a male perspective on something that is mostly, from what I’ve heard at least, talked about by women, makes me see that there are two sides to the same coin. Sometimes we forget that men are just as susceptible to the same thing women are. Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have an emotionally abusive partner.
‘Vixen’ is available to stream on Spotify, and the official video can be viewed on Youtube. You can also engage with In Loving Memory via their Facebook, Twitter and official website.
