UK Doomgaze/Alternative Band Vordermann Releases Their Debut EP: "Feeding on Flowers/"
Vordermann is a quintet from Stoke on Trent, UK whose sound is grounded in a mix of doomgaze, alternative rock, post rock, and sludge pop. The group released their debut EP, Feeding on Flowers/, on March 7, 2025.
I first heard Vordermann by way of their song Cloudpiercer, a tune that hooked me right away. This was during a particularly busy week for me, so I filed this little gem of a song in the back of my mind to dig deeper into later, and I finally got around to checking out the Feeding on Flowers/ EP in its entirety four days after its release.
As it turns out, my timing was perfect. I was sitting in my favorite chair and having my evening coffee a few days after daylight savings time began as I listened, sunlight still pouring through the nearby window at what seemed like an unnatural hour. This certainly brightens one's mood, signaling the end of a long, dreary winter and promising rejuvenated life ahead. In much the same way, the bright tones of Feeding on Flowers/ have a way of enticing you as they leap across the gleaming spectrum of sunlit sound, offering hope. However, there's a dark gray realism and dense heaviness that's always hanging around, carrying tumultuous storms that, while formidable, are necessary for the creation of those lush green meadows.
The 3 tracks on Feeding on Flowers/ illustrate this phenomenon beautifully well by moving between doomgaze, sludge pop, alternative, and post rock textures, with each some having a mood all its own. And whether the primary intent is to lift you up or to wax a bit more serious, each track has one thing in common: an undeniable assuasive quality.
I can't deny that my favorite track on the EP is Cloudpiercer, my memorable introduction to Vordermann and a song that exemplifies the word "soaring", its scintillating jewel-toned guitar and uplifting but rich vocal harmonies forming a rising vapor of optimism. However, some occasional crunch and somber interludes from the guitars along with a bass line that acts as a rather morose echo to its 6-stringed counterparts bring us back to harsh reality.
Cloudpiercer also happens to end with one of my favorite quotes, which says, in part:
"You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somaliland. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself."
-George Axelrod, "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Comments
Post a Comment