Product Description
2. I Had A Dream
3. Broken Toy (album version)
4. Another Day
5. Furnace
6. Cool
7. Push The Pedal (album version)
8. Do You Hear Me (album version)
9. Made Of Air
10. Ocean’s Breath
11. Common Decency
12. My Blues
13. Sick To The Bone
Echoes Radio’s September CD of the Month. Excerpt from Review: “The Sound of Beautiful Alienation. To say that VEiiLA is melancholic would be an understatement. But rarely is alienation rendered so beautifully and in such an original, compelling fashion. The band has called their sound ‘music for introverts,’ but it could just as well be music for the depressed, the forlorn and the oppressed. Nüte sings in a voice that can be fragile, sultry, domineering, sarcastic and heartbreaking. Their sound design is one of the most original I’ve heard.”
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Genres: Dark Cold Wave, Downtempo, Alternative Pop, Electronic, Bleak House, Dream Pop, Trip Hop, Witch House
For Fans Of: Emika, The XX, Zola Jesus, Sevdaliza
Hometown: Vanadzor, Armenia
Creating beauty and passion out of harrowing despair comes easy for Russians-in-exile VEiiLA. With immaculate electronics, slow rhythms, and female vocals flush with late-night sensuality, the duo of Bes and Vif crafts an entwining melancholia with devastating existential lyrics.
VEiiLA's second studio album, Sentimental Craving For Beauty, is the artistic equivalent of a Venus flytrap — hidden under seductive layers of mellow electronics, translucent guitars, soft enthralling percussion, synth bass and Vif's tantalizing, alluring vocals dwell the paralyzing vapors of venomous despair, hopelessness and ultimate surrender to the unavoidable and inevitable pain of human existence.
Disguised as relaxing downtempo music, VEiiLA leans towards Schopenhauerian pessimism where one does not conquer the pain; verily submission to pain is the only answer to a world that is made of suffering.
This grim outlook isn't based on mere musings of the poet's soul. When Russia invaded Ukraine, not willing to support the ugly war and the horrible autocratic regime, Vif Nüte and Bes Eirid packed their lives in a couple of suitcases, left their homes and embarked on a journey without destination. Calling themselves in the fashion of the late Kurt Vonnegut “a band without a country,” as modern Russian dissidents they taste the bitter liquor of disappointment blended with a healthy dose of morbid, soul-crushing realization: the world is in fact as ugly as it gets.
What followed was a period of wandering through Armenia living in strange hotels and apartments and slowly drowning in depression.
 VEiiLA is pronounced "Vay-la." It's a stylized reference to a Baltic mountain-dwelling demon that lures men into her cave by singing and then devours them. |
 August 18 • Digital Single • "Can’t Forgive Myself" b/w "Another Day" |
At the time of their exodus VEiiLA had half an album recorded. There was the name too, Sentimental Craving For Beauty, which (traditionally a literary reference, this time to Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga) initially meant something bright and hopeful to the band.
Having their life shattered in pieces, however, it also put some distance between the artists and their creative work. In short, nothing made sense anymore. And so the album was thrown into the fire. After a while though, new inspiration came, new songs were written and the line “sentimental craving for beauty” appeared to present a different side: when everything falls into ruin, when nothing good is left, the only thing that keeps one going is this craving.
Thus the album rose from the ashes in a purer rectified form.
Musically VEiiLA charted a new direction, re-inventing their style with a bare minimalist palette of sounds. Instead of taking a well-worn path of lush studio production, Vif and Bes focused on writing songs that could be played live in real time with their own four hands, a drum machine and a vocal looper. This resulted in a stripped down production with only a few occasional extra layers. The recent addition of electric guitar with Vif's distinct yet subdued styling added fresh textures to their sound.
This updated minimalism cleared even more space for the intimate vocals' hypnotic swirl, murmuring their introspective allegories of universal indifference and lost hope.
As VEiiLA themselves put it: “We wanted to simply find some ground and not fall into the abyss. We just couldn't breathe, couldn't sleep, and we needed something not to go insane. So we spent more time playing the instruments and less time staring at the screen, and somehow the album wrote itself. It was a good distraction. Is it more than that? Maybe it will speak to someone, inspire someone, or at least make some miserable wretch across the globe — who like Steppenwolf is torn between fear and the razor — feel less lonely, knowing that there are at least two souls of the same sort on this planet.”
Reviews Editor –
From Last Day Deaf
VEiiLA, the Russians-in-exile musical force, just unleashed their second studio album, Sentimental Craving For Beauty, on the legendary Projekt label in Portland, Oregon. Among the adorable gems in this sonic treasure trove, Can’t Forgive Myself stands out as an otherworldly marvel. This gem is an amalgam of dream pop, chillwave, witch house, and indie electronic vibes—a sonic palette that paints a unique soundscape. For fans of Emika, The XX, and Zola Jesus, this track is a “dark” journey into a musical realm that blurs boundaries and captivates the soul. VEiiLA has truly crafted a masterpiece with this enchanting release.
And their story in their own words: “This grim outlook isn’t based on mere musings of the poet’s soul. When Russia invaded Ukraine, not willing to support the ugly war and the horrible autocratic regime, Vif Nüte and Bes Eirid packed their lives in a couple of suitcases, left their homes and embarked on a journey without destination. Calling themselves in the fashion of the late Kurt Vonnegut “a band without a country,” as modern Russian dissidents they taste the bitter liquor of disappointment blended with a healthy dose of morbid, soul-crushing realization: the world is in fact as ugly as it gets.”
Reviews Editor –
From Sounds + Shadows
VEiiLA is pronounced “Vay-la.” It’s a stylized reference to a Baltic mountain-dwelling demon that lures men into her cave by singing and then devours them. Don’t threaten me with a good time. A new album on Projekt Records sent to me by Sam which I feel headlong into. A delicate beauty with 90’s trip hop elements, including a sprinkling of Beth Gibbons in the vocal delivery. Twinkling light arpeggiation taking us to an other worldly fairy fire mystery. This album makes great use of the “whisper factor”. When you shout something to the rooftops people natural lose focus. When you whisper a secret, everyone wants to lean in to be part of the inner circle. Veiila makes you lean in close, hanging on that whisper, then explodes in a shower of color. The flow of this whole record always leaves you shrouded in mystery. The other master stroke is the jazzy loose guitar winding clean and instinctive tendrils around that voice.
Favorite Tracks:
I Had A Dream – This song is full of magic and dark whimsey. You follow that lovely sound into a shadowy place and suddenly you are lost. Menacing low synth bass sounds bounce against the tiny bell sound sparkles. This track is a expert class on how to build tension, hit a peak, and explode with energy. The whole record excels at this but this track hits you right in the iris.
Common Decency – Nice glitchy witchaus drum beat that really frees the vocals to shine. Range and soul in equal measure. One of those tracks that would be at home in almost every situation. -Ken Magerman
Reviews Editor –
From Il Circolo
I don’t remember the last time when, during the first listen to a record, I felt the urgent need to write a review. Yet, with this second work by the Russian VEiiLA (as well as the first release for the label led by Sam Rosenthal) it happened.
The proposal by Vif Nüte and Bes Eirid distributed over thirteen tracks for a total hour presents itself as a concentration of elegance (in form), refinement (in sound) and class (in composition) such as to enchant the listener.
The initial triptych Can’t Forgive Myself/ I Had A Dream / Broken Toy is enough to furnish a sound room in a D’Annunzio style which, if desired, can be further embellished with precious stones such as Furnace, Push The Pedal, Do You Hear Me and the beautiful Common Decency, even if it is the entire tracklist that represents a display of taste and ability before which one can only remain enraptured, and without even feeling the need to compare these songs to certain recent products inexplicably celebrated by critics.
VEiiLA’s Bandcamp page states that this album «is the artistic equivalent of a Venus flytrap – hidden under seductive layers of mellow electronics, translucent guitars, soft enthralling percussion, synth bass and Vif’s tantalizing, alluring vocals dwell the paralyzing vapors of venomous despair , hopelessness and ultimate surrender to the unavoidable and inevitable pain of human existence>>. I may be presumptuous, but I think the Pope would have liked it. Night. -Luca Morzenti
Original Italian:
Non ricordo l’ultima volta in cui già durante il primo ascolto di un disco ho provato l’impellente bisogno di scriverne la recensione. Eppure, con questo secondo lavoro dei russi VEiiLA (nonché prima uscita per l’etichetta guidata da Sam Rosenthal) è capitato.
La proposta di Vif Nüte e Bes Eirid distribuita su tredici tracce per un’ora complessiva si presenta infatti come un concentrato di eleganza (nella forma), ricercatezza (nel suono) e classe (nella composizione) tali da incantare l’ascoltatore.
È sufficiente l’iniziale trittico Can’t Forgive Myself/ I Had A Dream / Broken Toy per arredare dannunzianamente una stanza sonora che volendo – si può ulteriormente impreziosire con pietre preziose quali Furnace, Push The Pedal, Do You Hear Me e la bellissima Common Decency, anche se è tutta la tracklist a rappresentare uno sfoggio di gusto e capacità dinanzi al quale non si può che restare estasiati, e senza neppure avvertire il bisogno di accostare questi brani a certi prodotti recenti inspiegabilmente celebrati dalla critica.
Nella pagina Bandcamp dei VEiiLA si legge che questo disco «is the artistic equivalent of a Venus flytrap – hidden under seductive layers of mellow electronics, translucent guitars, soft enthralling percussion, synth bass and Vif’s tantalizing, alluring vocals dwell the paralyzing vapors of venomous despair, hopelessness and ultimate surrender to the unavoidable and inevitable pain of human existence>>. Sarò presuntuoso, ma penso che al Vate sarebbe piaciuto. Notturno. -Luca Morzenti
Reviews Editor –
From CD HotList
“Disguised as relaxing downtempo music, VEiiLA leans towards Schopenhauerien pessimism where one does not conquer the pain; verily submission to pain is the only answer to a world that is made of suffering.” Okay! This is probably the first time I’ve typed the phrase “Schopenhauerian pessimism” into a CD HotList review, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And the press materials do not mislead: the music of VEiiLA draws on the Russian duo’s experience as exiles from a country they can no longer support. More from the press materials: “As modern Russian dissidents they taste the bitter liquor of disappointment blended with a healthy dose of morbid, soul-crushing realization: the world is in fact as ugly as it gets.” Fortunately for you, the listener, this realization results in some genuinely compelling dark and downtempo electro-pop music with hints of trip hop, jungle, and techno weaving through the mix. Imagine a more Slavic Dead Can Dance, or a more depressed and ‘luded-out early Ministry, with much better vocals. That’s a compliment, I promise. -Rick Anderson
Reviews Editor –
From Echoes Radio
The Sound of Beautiful Alienation, VEiiLA’s Sentimental Craving for Beauty, Echoes September CD of the Month.
Some musicians just seem to live in a world of alienation, loss and depression. The best of them, Lana Del Rey, The Cure, Joy Division and Billie Eilish, bring those emotions to us, affirming thoughts and feelings that many often have but don’t speak. They affirm while also showing defiance. VEiiLA is a duo that brings an added layer to those expressions. They are Russian émigrés who fled their country in protest of the authoritarian regime and the invasion of Ukraine. Seeking some kind of solace, they wound up in Armenia.
Vif Nüte and Bes Eirid began crafting their music in 2015 in St. Petersburg, using Eirid’s bargain synthesizers and the voice and guitar of Vif Nüte. Their debut album, Nation of One, came out in 2020, but they made some quantum strides during the pandemic and their subsequent journey, and it all comes together on the album, Sentimental Craving for Beauty.
The band has called their sound “music for introverts,” but it could just as well be music for the depressed, the forlorn and the oppressed. Nüte sings in a voice that can be fragile, sultry, domineering, sarcastic and heartbreaking. Sometimes she sounds like a broken woman herself, possibly insane. That’s the sound of “Another Day,” a song of deceit and self-loathing, where the voice moves from wistfulness to knowing sarcasm. It’s a voice with a wide range, as you can tell when she leaps high on “Made of Air.”
“Can’t forgive myself” is a powerful opening to the album as Nüte sings of hypocrisy. Could this be a song of failed love or is it a political commentary? It’s delivered with an imperious voice over a syncopated drum track, growling bass bottom and chirping synths.
Their sound design is one of the most original I’ve heard. It’s Depeche Mode doing Twin Peaks but with a much more interesting rhythmic approach. Relatively spare, the songs mix 50’s reverb guitar, percolating and ping-ponging synths and rhythm tracks that aren’t simple loops. They’re syncopated and exploded across stereo fractures. Nüte’s guitar is an unusual touch in this electronic grove-scape. Although she uses an Ibanez, it sounds like a Telecaster sent through spring reverb with a modern digital. When she plays the downward slides on “Another Day” you can hear echoes of the Twin Peaks score and late 50s rock. Strip away the vocals, put on headphones and you could get joyously lost in just the instrumental side of this music.
Then there is the distinctive voice of Vif Nüte. She’s not one of those ethereal electronica girls. She has power and authority. There is an accent in her voice, but it sounds less Russian and more affected much like Lana Del Rey, which she sounds a lot like on “Broken Toy.” Another song of alienation, “Broken Toy” is not about her living in a foreign land but “not fitting in with my tribe with my kind.” Written in 2020 prior to the war and emigration, it’s easy to read her disaffection with the Russian autocracy.
Nüte is working out a lot of deep, and possibly traumatic emotions here. Songs like “Do You Hear Me” are clearly pleas for recognition and acknowledgement, which she doesn’t believe is forthcoming. Alienation is again, at the root of her psyche when it spills out on “My Blues,” a song of luxurious desolation.
There’s a goth influence in this music. It rises up from the tomb on songs like “Cool” where Nüte sings in a gruff, dragging voice, intoning “I see right through you. You’ve got no clue,” before releasing a popish chorus.
The intro of “Push the Pedal” reminded me of the intro to Spooky Tooth’s “Lost in My Dream” with its low rumble, backwards effects, and staccato strings. It all slips into an eight-note wordless vocal loop, as synths swirl in and Nüte begins intoning her need to “get away.” I’d normally interpret this as a break-up song, but in VEiiLA’s case, it seems much more political.
To say that VEiiLA is melancholic would be an understatement. But rarely is alienation rendered so beautifully and in such an original, compelling fashion. Bes Eirid and Vif Nüte have taken us inside their heads, inside the internal conversations you don’t say out loud, but they do, in a perfectly articulated sonic landscape. There is no sentimentality in Sentimental Craving for Beauty, but they are yearning for beauty and they attain it. THE END