Victoria+Jean

Responsible for the visceral, menacing, cinematic, brooding and pop-hook filled audible delight that is their latest album ‘Underdog’, Victoria+Jean are an extraordinarily creative duo linked artistically and romantically.

Victoria+Jean – Victoria, Swedish and Jean, Belgian – released their debut Divine Love in 2016. It was an enormous creative endeavour that involved collaboration with countless producers and filmmakers. But it was a project that took its toll. By Spring 2017, after more than 120 gigs around the globe, the pair were without a home and moved from one friend’s sofa to another.

Playing live left them so drained that they had to stop and cancel the tour mid-way through. That is where underdog began, almost on the spot. They stopped their tour and began work on their next album.

The first step was speaking to producer Henrik Alsér. They met at SXSW earlier that year and got on famously. There was instant electricity.

Writing and recording was almost instantaneous. Lyrics came spontaneously, with old scrapbooks for inspiration. They had two weeks at the Svenska Grammofon studio in Sweden and did the best part of underdog in four days. It was here they stayed for some months.

The resulting album, released independently by the band, is a buzzing delight. Latest single ‘Away’ is driven by an unrelenting guitar solo and Victoria’s towering vocal. ‘Imbecile’ is a darkly brooding hit of elecrtro pop, fuelled by a sinister baseline, incessant beat, and stabbing guitar lines, and recent single 'Window Pigeon’, complete with synthesized baseline, intermittently ignites with bursts of distorted guitars, thundering drums and Victoria’s vocals.

Not for the light hearted, ‘Underdog’ is an all or nothing hit of electro-pop/rock straight to your veins. Strap yourself in and prepare for a listening experience that’ll fill your skull to the brim with its zest and intensity.