Fans have been waiting for the debut album by Van She for a long time now. Since their debut EP in 2005, Van She and their production child Van She Tech have done the touring circuit extensively in Australia, and even have established a cult following in the US and Europe. Fans will be extremely pleased with this record, from a band that’s always been known for their sophistication and glamour.

Van She is a cool name, and V is a cool name for an album which displays a very trendy soundscape. It is a perfect mix of modern rock and indie/pop, with certain tracks allowing the guitar take the lead and others allowing the synthesizer to shine. Throughout all this however, the Van She style remains the same; every song is danceable and distinct to their style. The verses are soft and effective, and the choruses are epic.

Opener Memory Man can be categorised as progressive rock, think of something like Radiohead or Sigur Ros. There is an eerie contrast between the verses and the compacting of music when the song climaxes in the chorus. Finally, the sounds ease and the ambience that Van She achieves so well is intensified.

Changes and Strangers are the most radio friendly tracks on the album, displaying the softer side of the group and seeing them experiment with different
sounds. Their production skills are on display with The Sea, with an underlying electronic edge that’s just barely noticeable and displays the attention to detail that went into making this album.

But despite them playing with many electronic elements, this album remains more rock based as it seems Van She Tech will remain their outlet to unleash the foursome’s darker electric alter egos. The only dance orientated track is probably the instrumental Temps Mort which lasts just over one minute. And then, straight back into Van She with Talkin. The only criticism on the album is that a few of the songs do sound fairly similar, not really straying away from the norm that’s expected of the group. However, there’s just enough diversity to get away with it and despite this, the tracks are all quite good.

Their signature song Kelly also features on the album, and it was a very good decision to include it at that. If you have not heard this song, it has many funky retro elements and has an awesome hook that will stick in your head. It is the song that catapulted Van She into the hearts of festival crowds here and abroad. Later on Sharp Knife is also a soft, retro pop jam which differs greatly from the first half of the album. Most tracks end very calmly, allowing only fragments of the layers upon layers of sounds to see out the end of the piece. It’s a technique that allows the album to flow with ease and is subtle in breaking up the contrasting features of different tracks.

In short, this album and all of the songs on it will be received with open arms by both fans and newcomers to their music. I can picture thousands of trendy youngsters, trapped in their own worlds, dancing to each track on V without a care in the world, and still looking kind of cool doing so.