V.O.V by HIMALAYAS – An Instant Hit

I’ll be honest, before I was sent this record I had never listened to the modern rock band ‘HIMALAYAS’, however, after hearing their brand new track titled ‘V.OV’, they have just gained a loyal fan.

Co written with the rock legend that is Brian Johnson, the song opens with a cinematic smashing of drums from James Goulbourn and a vigorous guitar riff from Mike Griffiths, leading into an instrumental full of punchy bass notes from Louis Heaps full of confidence that somehow seeps into the listener.Immediately I felt uplifted, I could totally imagine strutting down the street with this playing in my headphones and feeling like the coolest girl on the street. This assertive sound is furthered by lead vocalist Joe Williams, whose voice, reminiscent of other greats such as Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr, oozes a certain sensuality that keeps you coming back for more.

While the tune of the song is extremely high energy and crowd pleasing, the lyrics of the song are heavily laden with nuance. The first lyrics of the song go:

A bitter pill

A hollow line

A luxury life

On a Disney ride

And wicked truths

Cover a fate soon sealed

Behind the glass Of what you thought was real

Upon hearing this, I instantly thought that they were referring to the duality of working in music, and how it is indeed a roller coaster, sometimes full of wonder, but also peppered with despair. However, I was then lead away from this notion as Williams goes on to sing

They’ll burn and they steal and they still think that

The fights they pick will spark a match

which I personally interpreted to be referencing social decay in the lower classes of Britain, but can even be linked to a dysfunctional relationship. What makes this song so beautiful is that there is no clear cut definition of what it is about. In their recent Instagram post promoting the tune, the band simply wrote that it is a ‘song of resistance and struggle against both violence and suffering.’ This is evident in the main refrain of the chorus:

Victims of your violence, slaughter of your innocence.

Like I said, the band still leaves the meaning extremely open ended, making it easily relatable for all listeners, as we can use the lyrics as a template to reflect on the suffering or mistreatment we have felt throughout our own lives.

In short, this track is an absolute knockout, and I would highly suggest to anyone that they give Himalayas a listen.

Listen to their new single and other releases below.