Voula

Coveting emotionality through noise in “Vapaa Uljas Onnen Lapsi Aamun.” Touching on classic rock themes through a folkish lens in “Laugh Vivid Often Adore Unity.” Binding elemental melodicism with carnal textures in “Under Above Orion Venus Loves.” In his new record Alouv, Vuola is exploring hybridity with a delicate hand, but the mammoth rock tones he’s able to yield here are anything but understated. In terms of sonic depth, this might be one of the most moving works I’ve listened to from an underground player this season, if not one of the sturdier releases of the year to date. 

There’s so much of everything in Alouv that indulgence is too much of an understated description to use when breaking down a piece like “Astra Lucia Omnia Ultra Verum.” Vuola wants to back us into a corner with his intensity, but the ironic thing is that he’s using quite fragile arrangements to do so. This contrast creates some piercing moments in these five tracks, and I would even say that he manages to do a lot more creatively with this small space than a lot of his contemporaries have been able to accomplish in complete LPs. Post-rock themes get a heady makeover in Alouv, and if you haven’t had the chance to check this record out just yet, I recommend doing so this May.

For what Vuola is working with, this is a really expansive release that asks for us to dig beyond the surface of rock n’ roll for what feels like a truly worthwhile experiment in noise and nuance. Melodies are far from absent in Alouv, but they’re not the focal point at all - from what I can tell, Vuola wants to create a multimedia experience here through a single medium, which is both daring and courageous in today’s mundane indie rock community. 

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Trace Whittaker

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

5/2022