Viji - So Vanilla

‘Sedative’, ‘Ambien’, ‘Blanket’… that ‘So Vanilla’ is an album that comes partly wrapped in a fuzzy, narcotic cloak is a quality that’s worn plainly on Viji’s sleepy sleeve. However, while the singer’s long-in-the-making debut is certainly a collection that finds itself blinking painfully at the harsh daylight - from the hypnotic grunge of single ‘Down’ to nocturnal closer ‘Ambien’’s repeated intonations of “what’s the point?” - it’s never at the expense of a curiously magnetic melody. There are more obvious big-hitters; opener ‘Anything’ tumbles into action with a carefree sense of abandon, while the tetchy ‘Karaoke’ fuels the activity with an angsty sense of frustration. But whether raising or dropping the tempo, ‘So Vanilla’ pieces together the hooky and the hazy cleverly, showcasing Viji and producer Dan Carey’s obvious synergy and allowing the singer’s pop and alternative sensibilities to become easy, cosy bedfellows.