WRITHING!: Valentine Red Vinyl 2LP

Operating on a plane between avant-garde indie, bubbling electronica and cosmic psychedelia, London group Voka Gentle have an addictive, amorphous sound. A three limbed beast made up of twins Ellie and Imogen Mason, and William J. Stokes, each is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer with an imperious understanding of three dimensional sound.The newest single ‘Necrofauna / The Garden of Eden’ – features Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips.The hallucinatory mix of squelching synth bass and rhythmic samples, three-tiered harmonies playing off against William’s sprechgesang, and a cutting, full-bodied drum beat is reflected in the oneiric themes.“This song is a dream sequence about the narrator entering the Garden of Eden, the emblem of an idealised pastoral relationship with the natural world, and realising they can’t stand it and want t o consume and bring destruction to it (I see a deer pass me by and I break its neck / Rip off its hind leg and take a bite through fur, sinew and bone).”‘Necrofauna / The Garden of Eden’ – recorded with neo – metal battalion Pigsx7 guitarist and producer Sam Grant – is the first release in earnest since 2019’s acclaimed debut album ‘Start Clanging Cymbals’, released via Nude Records. Having come through the dues – paying gestation period that leads up to a debut record, there’s a sense of liberation around this new phase for Voka Gentle – a subtle confidence in their craft. It’s well earned too – with high praise from the likes of UNCUT, MOJO and The Line of Best Fit at press. Support comes too from BBC 6 Music – including presenting an edition of Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone – and Radio 1. Tracks from that album also featured on FIFA 19 and The Sims 2020, aiding in recognition.A live set at the prestigious Pitchfork Avant Garde festival, as well as a clutch of tastemaker festivals in the UK (Dot to Dot , Live At Leeds, The Great Escape, Kendall Calling, Bluedot, Neighbourhood), alongside the serendipit ous shows with The Flaming Lips and sell – out headline gigs, provide a strong live pedigree