Let’s face it; most of the time, when you love a band’s first record to the extent to which I loved Veronica Falls’ debut, the follow up 
is a disappointment. It happens to me all the time. And I get it, bands evolve or some shit, but I really just want a better version of what I liked the first time around, and that’s a difficult thing to do when people have Artistic Integrity ™.
Today has eased some of my fears with Slumberland-darlings Veronica Falls. The video for the first single since the debut LP has crazed the Tweeter-sphere (see what I did there?). “My Heart Beats” comes out on Bella Union on March 26 and is available for pre-order. That means I have to literally sit at my computer and hit refresh on this goddamn Vimeo video until then but for reals, no fucking problem.
And can we talk about this video? It is ethereal and pop-art inspired, colorful and easy on the eyes. It’s makes me wanna steal a Vespa. It’s basically all the best stuff about VF, but in visual form.
I do think it’s super interesting how colorful the video is when you think about this single in comparison to VF’s first record. The first record was laden with poppy melancholia, a stark black and white barn on the cover of the record. The songs, while containing a lot of depth, were sepia tone in sound, lacking the punch “My Heart Beats” has. This new single is all color. There is an optimism that was missing from the first record, but not unwelcome at all. The Line of Best Fit (who premiered the video) said it best when they said it is the “most outwardly accessible tune to date.”
I am waiting with baited breath for what’s to come, Veronica Falls.
I saw Liechtenstein, all-girl indie pop outfit from Sweden, open for the incomparable Cats on Fire back in 2009 at the sadly now closed Bruer Falls. Their strength, like many of the latest bands to emerge from Slumberland, is their ability to remind me of other rad bands I love. This is not a bad thing… Liechtenstein brought to mind the greats. Dolly Mixture, Heavenly, The Raincoats, Shop Assistants, basically the entire gamut of 80s female fronted pop. Their debut Survival Strategies in a Modern World, specifically the track “All at Once,” had some heavy rotation in the Pop Minx household.
