Vuvuvultures – I’ll Cut You

The London-based Vuvuvultures do not waste any time in introducing you to their foreboding and sinister world. Barely 20 seconds has gone by in their debut single ‘I’ll Cut You’ before lead singer Harmony Boucher extends a startling invitation, “I’ll take you out, cut you out tonight”. It’s sung in a way that sounds like a tortured Florence wandering through an industrial complex and the track gains the majority of its goose bump giving chills through the wail that makes up the rest of her lyrics.

But driving the foggy tale of cutting and being cutting is a band who already sounds more assured and composed than most. The simplistic, militaristic drums that open the song give away to a catchy but unnervingly deep beatbox halfway through, which sounds like distorted dialogue fading in and out from a late-night movie. While the vocals and percussion stand out, it’s the stabs and moans of guitars, which add a forceful kick to the chorus and are left to fester in the background for most of the song – in fact, they only begin to seep through after multiple listens - that ensure the song will burrow it’s way deep into your memory banks.

‘I’ll Cut You’ is three minutes of dark indie pleasure, avoiding the pitfalls of many other bands who want to mix brooding with guitar hooks, and has enough originality to sound truly exciting. Boucher’s fierce vocals stand out the most, commanding attention throughout, while the rest of the tune’s slow-burning intensity grips more and more with each passing listen. As debut singles go, that’s pretty damn good.