VHS Or Beta

Bring On The Comets

[2/5]

VHS Or Beta’s last album, Night On Fire, was the rare digi-punk album that sounded distinctive and unique, even though the Louisville, Kentucky, band used the same tricks as their dance-funk peers: warm vintage keyboards, Cure-inspired vocals and shards of jagged guitars. The new Bring On The Comets is a natural progression from Fire-it’s quite a bit slicker and sonically feels as if it could fill an arena-but lacks the personality of the prior album. Songs such as “Love In My Pocket” and “She Says” too often feel like a VHS Or Beta caricature, while the title track directly rips off the Killers ca. the synthpop Springsteen of Sam’s Town. When VHS Or Beta do let their personality shine, however, Comets smokes: “Take It Or Leave It” is a throbbing disco rave-up fit for Ibiza, while the combination of a liquid bassline and Craig Pfunder’s melancholy, soulful vocals on “Fall Down Lightly” is simply gorgeous. (ASTRALWERKS) Annie Zaleski