The KVB, a duo celebrated for their increasingly innovative approach to both sound and vision, has unveiled plans to release their forthcoming new album, Tremors, globally on April 5th, 2024, via Invada Records.
This week marked the release of “Labyrinths,” the first single from the new LP. In this latest endeavor, they blend shoegaze, post-punk, and coldwave into a swirling maelstrom enriched with cascading guitars and the buoyant rhythms of drum machines. The band describes it as “one of the more aggressive tracks on the album.” Noting, as they delve into its depths, that, “Thematically, it touches on historical subjectivity; the flexibility of truth and construction of narratives.” This single, while deceptively simple, captures the essence of the band’s sound perfectly. It exudes the angst and aggression characteristic of old-school punk and new-wave grit while simultaneously painting a picture of the contrasting dreaminess that permeates their music.
The band took the helm in directing its music video, adding subtly retro vibes that perfectly augment the song, describing it as “a visceral assault of digitalised nature, CRT screens, and analogue glitch textures.”
Their artistic vision for the DIY clip was clear: “We wanted the aesthetic to reflect the album artwork and the energy of the edit to mirror the aggression of the song,” they confess.
Watch the video for “Labyrinths” below:
The KVB, established in 2010, initially began as the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Wood. Kat Day joined the project in 2011, transforming The KVB into a compelling multisensory collaborative effort. Over the past decade, the band has released several critically acclaimed albums and EPs.
One finds a mesmerizing fusion of reverb-drenched shoegaze and minimalist electronic production in their sound, replete with a nod to classic Madchester. This alchemy is a testament to Nicholas Wood and Kat Day’s profound understanding and manipulation of atmosphere. Throughout their oeuvre, there has been a persistent undertone of dystopia, a hallmark of their sonic identity. Yet, in their recent works, this sense of dystopian bleakness is counterbalanced by a newfound sense of rapturous release. This evolution speaks to their continual growth and exploration as artists, ever pushing the boundaries of their distinctive sound.
For those already entranced by the haunting sounds of “Labyrinths,” there’s more looming on the horizon. The band has teased that a pre-order for the new album Tremors is coming soon.
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