Tom Vek

With only his third release in 9 years, Tom Vek is not one to overstate his case, but through the repetition of “how am I meant to know?” in Luck’s opening track, Vek’s colours are well and truly pinned to the mast.

It is the repetition in lyrics and the confrontational way that they’re delivered on electro-psych hooks that underpins the charm that Luck has in abundance.

The fusion of electro-psych hooks with the natural garage-esque drool of Vek’s voice combines to send listeners into a near trance, while remaining abrasive throughout. Put simply, Tom Vek’s third release constantly demands your attention.

The record’s first single, Sherman (Animals in the jungle) is one of the record’s more guitar focussed tracks, which flows with waves of an electric shriek and Vek’s insistent vocals.

Second release, ‘Broke’ bounces into action off of the back of this and develops throughout its deceptively brief 4 minute 20 second runtime, building a chaotic electro-sound which is impossible to predict, but mesmerising to follow.

In contrast, the track ‘the girl you wouldn’t leave for any other girl’ shows a different take on the album’s themes of repetition, as the reiteration of the song’s title becomes grating over an out-of-place melodic flamenco acoustic backdrop. The track does serve as a respite from the more dancey flourishes of the record, but it indicates Vek’s talents do lie more within the electronic.

The synthesised pulse of ‘Let’s pray’ and ‘The tongue avoids the teeth’ lifts the album to finish where it set out, serving as the dance-worthy tracks that the album had been promising. “Let’s pray for a long night” – indeed, Mr. Vek.

Stand out songs: Sherman (Animals in the jungle), Broke, The Tongue Avoids the Teeth, Let’s Pray

Tom Vek’s Luck is released on 10th June 2014