VEPS

‘Norway’s indie pop grrrl gang VEPS return with slyly subversive new single ‘Ecstasy’’ – Clash Magazine

Following the release of their nineties tinged track ‘Ecstasy’, Oslo’s VEPS, today unleash the beautifully raw ‘Girl On TV’. The track, which is accompanied by a stunning self-directed video, is the second to be taken from their forthcoming EP Open The Door, out June 11th on Kanine Records.

A look through the window at the constant pressures of modern life, the bewitchingly vulnerable track is drenched in captivating harmonies, flipping between Laura and Helena’s poignant vocals. “’Girl on TV’ is more like a story with a narrative than any other of our songs. It follows a girl growing up in a home where she doesn’t feel like she is being seen,” says the band. “Ultimately it’s a song about loneliness and idealisation. It’s about how lonely it can feel to grow up in an emotionally distant household, and how it’s so easy to compare your own life to others when you’re in a bad place yourself.”

Again, holding tight to their DIY sensibilities, the band shot and directed the video themselves, with a little help from friends. “We planned it on the train back from a gig in Trondheim, but another lockdown happened right after we got home so we had to improvise a lot as we were filming and didn’t really know how it would turn out until the final edit,” the band said of the video. “We wanted it to have a more introspective tone that reflects the song itself, while still maintaining that not-so-serious «cheeky» undertone.” Watch the video HERE

Recorded at Studio Tjueen Studios in Oslo, Norway, Open The Door was self-produced by the band and mixed by Girl In Red’s producer Matias Tellez. A love letter to their teenage years, the EP is an accomplished collection of songs, far beyond their tender years at just 17. 

Following their performance at The Great Escape’s digital Festival last night, the band will also play a series of shows this year including Norway’s By:Larm Festival (30th Sept-2nd Oct), with more live dates to be added soon. 

Hailing from the eastside of Norway’s capital, Oslo, VEPS have known each other since elementary school and began playing music together in middle school, aged 14. Although growing up with very different influences, the girls had a common sense as outsiders and while making a short film together decided to make an impromptu band. With Helena, Laura and June already accomplished at their instruments, Maja was assigned as drummer, she had never touched a drum set before, and VEPS was born. Already causing a stir playing a series of DIY shows wherever they could, the band self-released ‘Do I Hear A Maybe?’ on their own label in 2019, mixed by a man known only as ‘The Professor’. Making stickers with the cover art and giving them away for free, word of mouth created a buzz around the band.

Fast forward to 2021 and the band, equipped with their stunning debut EP, sign to New York label Kanine Records, planting them firmly as one of the most exciting bands in Europe. Watch this space!

‘Open The Door’ Track Listing:

1. Girl On TV
2. Do I Hear A Maybe? 
3. Ecstasy
4. Oliver
5. Funny Things
6. Colorblind

VEPS are Helena Mariero Olasveengen (keys/vocals), June K. Urholt (bass), Laura Dodson (guitar/vocals) & Maja B. Berge (drums)

https://www.vepsofficial.com/