French-British outfit, A Void have been a constant feature on the continental independent musical scene since 2016. The London based trio just released their newest, grittiest offering entitled “The Gutter”, once again proving that they can play grunge louder, darker and dirtier than native Seattleites. Despite its roughness and bleakness, we think this single may be one of the best songs released this year. After all, a lot of things can be found in the gutter, in this case, the purest gold.
Single cover, picture by A Void’s own Aaron Hartmann
Several days ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing the new single “Toolish” from London based quartet, Femegades. The song came with a PR note describing it as a love child of Bikini Kill and The Clash, raised by Courtney Love. As witty as it sounds, this description had nothing to do with the Femegades’ music and strangely, everything to do with A Void’s. “The Gutter” indeed feels like a pure-blooded genetic cross between riot grrrl and punk rock, brought up not only by Hole but an entire army of aunties (L7, Babes in Toyland) and uncles (Green River, Alice In Chains, Mudhoney). I can tell you something more. If “The Gutter” was truly a kid, it would be leading a revolution in the Emerald City, probably writing emails to the local council to renovate Moore Theatre and bring back Music Bank. It would be dressed in ripped up jeans, Mother Love Bone tee and a flannel jacket. It would wear its hair long, be depressed and have few friends admitted at the Harborview Medical Centre. Those who know, will know.
If anybody is looking for a glimpse of hope in this song, I’m afraid they will not find much. “The Gutter” is, as the title suggests, dirty, filthy, bleak and wet. This is a three minute and 17 seconds of musical desperation, filled with heavy guitars, distorted bass, slow torturous drums and Camille Alexander’s signature scratchy vocals. The cover portrays Camille laying in (yes, you guessed it) the gutter, eerily reminding me of Mariah O’Brien from the cover of Alice in Chain’s “Dirt”. Or maybe even Demri Parrott with her white face and long dark hair. It is also a phenomenally pretty picture taken by A Void’s bassist, Aaron Hartmann and it seriously fits perfectly into the grunge decade’s heroin chic aesthetic. Camille seems to play this lost but mesmerizing young alt-rock starlet, who may have hit rock bottom, but she still looks like a million dollar deal.
“The Gutter” is probably the most 90’s inspired song A Void has ever recorded. It’s so convincing that, had I not known any better, I would have thought somebody sent me recordings from an unknown local band from Seattle’s University District circa 1992. I’m actually amazed, how kids born at the beginning of 2000’s can recreate the 90’s sound so faithfully and sincerely and they weren’t even here to experience it themselves. Beats me.
Camille during the “The Gutter” photo session, picture by Aaron Hartmann
Not everything is doom and gloom, of course. There is always an unmistakable beauty in despair. The song is an addictive, waltzing nursery rhyme with long winded passages, howling guitars, out of focus, fade in – fade out, stop and go type of distortions and sorrowful echoes. It makes you feel claustrophobic, yet you can’t stop listening. A masterful production by Shuta Shinoda (Spiritualized, Daughter, Jehnny Beth, Ghostpoet) at Hackney Road Studios, who is known for creating this strange, hollow and “airy” sound in songs. Check out Spiritualized’s latest album “Everything Was Beautiful” from 2022 for Bella Union and you will immediately know what I mean. “The Gutter” was also mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, Echo and The Bunnymen, Tom Grennan and Yungblud) and I’m sure he also added some extra cold wave magic to the track.
“The Gutter” may sound like a lost gem from the grunge archives but it’s sadly a very modern song. It was written about social media and its effect on artists who are forced to constantly produce new content. Endless scrolling through Twitter (now X) or TikTok, being forced to self-promote can be draining and exhausting, especially for independent artists who do not have the luxury of an agent or PR team working for them. The toxicity of digital discourse is also not helping – you may find yourself going down the rabbit hole, soaking all the dirt and rot of the capitalistic approach to art. This is not right and many artists have publicly stated that this is what destroys their ability to create and their mental health. I don’t know how long it can go on, but we cannot sustain an industry that refuses to pay artists for their music and at the same time, push all the promotional/booking/touring costs on them. I could go on and write a separate tirade about the ills of the music business but it would be preaching to the choir. We all know how unsafe, destructive and unfair things are. All I can say is we need to start supporting young bands so they don’t quit. Without bands like A Void, there will not be another Hole, another Tina Turner, another Queen. There will not be another decade like the 90’s. We will be paying Spotify, listening to industry plants or AI made tracks. This sounds like hell; I hope you will agree.
So, here’s an idea. Play “The Gutter”, buy some merch from A Void, go and see them on tour. They are constantly on the road, making sure you will have a great time watching them play. Spread the word about them, write to your local DJ or radio station and request them – it takes seconds and will help them.
Support those who have something to say.
5 stars from us at Vanadian Avenue, a place where artists and good music matter.
Follow the band online:
http://www.avoidinyou.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBwCzGg0kXD8delfwMQqgtQ
https://www.instagram.com/avoidinyou/
https://www.facebook.com/avoidinyou
https://twitter.com/avoidinyou
https://avoidinyou.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/4Ecxd2jnG9r0b6k12Ij0up
https://www.tiktok.com/@avoidinyou
“The Gutter” is out now today.
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 