The very best type of pop music is the kind that mixes sweetness and light with dissonance and darkness, the sort which injects a perfectly addictive harmony with something sadder, stranger. Think of the gloomy melodrama of “Tell Laura I Love Her”, which kickstarted the “teenage tragedy song” craze in the 60’s, the bleak farewell of “Seasons In the Sun” in the 70’s, even The Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma” in the 80’s – all meltingly beautiful melodies with something considerably darker lurking at its heart; the black cloud on a summer’s day, the bruise on a perfect face. It is a long and storied lineage, and one which London four-piece Veronica Falls are quite happy fitting into. “We love bands like Beat Happening, Velvet Underground, Galaxie 500 and Felt, but we also love over-emotionalism”, says drummer Patrick Doyle. “We all originally bonded over the sinister sides to love songs from the 50’s and 60’s.”
The band has just released a self-titled LP and is touring the U.S. Here are the dates:
02/08 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
02/09 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
02/10 – Voyeur Nightclub – Philadelphia, PA
02/11 – Radio – Somerville, MA
02/13 – Belmont – Montreal, Canada
02/14 – The Garrison – Toronto, Canada
02/16 – The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
02/17 – 7th St. Entry – Minneapolis, MN*
02/20 – The Media Club – Vancouver, Canada*
02/21 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA*
02/22 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR*
02/25 – Bootleg Theater – Los Angeles, CA*
02/27 – Casbah – San Diego, CA*
*with Bleached
