UK indie rock veterans Vernons Future present their ‘Aquaplaning’ album following the lead track ‘Call To Arms’, a plea to save the planet from a climate emergency by joining together in our efforts.
Originally known as The Vernons, the Liverpool band formed in the 1980s, toured the UK and released their ‘Smithdown Road’ LP in 1990 via the Probe Plus label, touted by Melody Maker as “a fine debut…in love with pop at its most unassuming and most charming”. In 2015, the band reincarnated as Vernons Future with original members Simon Burchill, Andy Harding, Jon Fiber and Tom Le Bas, and were joined by Simon’s school friend Simon ‘Hoops’ Hooper.
Effectively their second full-length record, ‘Aquaplaning’ means sliding uncontrollably on a wet surface. It features the band’s singles from late 2019 onward, in addition to two new songs. With members now split between Oxford and London, the band’s music puts a distinctive twist on the poppier end of the indie spectrum.
“At its core, this album deals with the twists and turns of the human heart’s desires. E – it’s essentially built on love songs, but love songs that do not shy of looking at the darker side. From unfulfilled desires and ambitions (‘Waiting at the Station’), through unrequited love and control (‘Honeysuckle Love’), to fully unconditional love (‘Just Can’t Help Myself’), it’s the examination of love, longing (and regret) that gives the album its beating core,” says frontman Simon Burchill.
“But you cannot live on love songs alone, right? ‘Holy Joe’ ponders the beauty and magnificence of religious architecture, all the while remaining uneasy about the nature of religion itself. There’s also joy to be found in our love of cinema, and specifically those classic old sci-fi movies from the 50’s that dealt with other big issues of the human condition (‘B Movie’). We let our paranoia out of the box too on lockdown worrier ‘Seek Shelter Now’, which repurposes nuclear war fears (although we guess those are back now, anyway) for the pandemic age. And album closer ‘Disco Oasis’ finds Vernons Future in a Madchester-era northern nightclub and loving it!”
As of October 7, the ‘Aquaplaning’ LP will be available on CD and digitally via Apple Music and Spotify. Both formats can be ordered via Bandcamp. The band have a handful of concerts lined up, including an album release show in Camden (London) at Fiddler’s Elbow on October 22 and at Belfast’s Pavilion Bar on October 29.
Track List
1. Call To Arms
2. Just Can’t Help Myself
3. Holy Joe
4. Honeysuckle Love
5. Lights Have Changed
6. B Movie
7. Waiting At The Station
8. Seek Shelter Now
9. Just Can’t Help Myself (Lazarus Mix)
10. Disco Oasis (live in Leeds)
