Vice Killer – Commonplace (2020)
Hope for the future is what Vice Killer has to offer with their single ‘Commonplace’. The positive emotions of the single come through the tale of negatives in the lyrics. The basis of the single is getting lost in advice from the wrong people or listening to those who only want to mould others into what they want. It also touches on the drained feeling that the stresses of the last year have created.
The hope for the future that shines through all this comes from Thomas Gilling (vocals, guitar), James Langan (guitar), Jack Langan (bass) and Lewis Muir (drums). They all come from the same area in the North-East of England and know each other quite well. When Gilling started writing songs in the first lockdown, James Langan started writing lead guitar before pulling the rest of the band into the process.
The opening of ‘Commonplace’ is so easy that you can’t help but fall under its spell. The gentle flows of the music calmly transition to a more guitar-driven sound that slowly picks up the pace. The progression of the music is perfect as it has you floating to a curious sound. There is something in the guitar lines that hooks the back of your brain and niggles there for the entire single. It is like a sense of awakening or knowledge that you just need to grab onto to come to an important realisation.
Gilling’s vocals are as easy as the melody with a soft depth that whispers across your senses. The soft tone of his performance continues the curious tones woven into the melody, but there is something more to it. There is a storytelling vibe to the lyrics, but the harsh truths of life are brought to your attention gently through the performance. It is a wonderful enlightening of the senses and consciousness set to an easy alt-rock vibe.
Vice Killer takes on the negatives of life and the draining feeling of stress through the easy vibes of ‘Commonplace’. Gilling’s vocals form a soft pillow that you can relax on as the harsh truths of the world are brought into the open. The melody has a great drive to it while continuing the softness of the vocals and a sense of awakening.
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