A French-British ensemble, A VOID has been a fixed staple on the UK independent circuit for nearly a decade. Still going strong, they have just released their newest single called, kid you not, “Fish In Your Pocket”. Camille Alexander, the outspoken front woman, is known for writing certified bangers, even if they have somewhat strange titles. That lapse in judgement aside, “Fish In Your Pocket” will be your new favourite track from the grunge alt-rock indie circuit darlings.
The song came out in December, but as we are writing this review, the band just uploaded a hot new video, so we thought this would be a perfect time to write a few words about it. “Fish In Your Pocket” was recorded last year at the Hackney Road Studios with an estimated Japanese engineer Shuta Shinoda known for his meticulous work for Daughter, Spiritualized and Jehnny Beth among many others.
Shindoa’s work is built on layered contrasts: loudness versus silence, richness of composition shown against minimalistic production, emotions perfectly contained in the “airy” or somewhat cold atmosphere – all of this results in songs that are equally elegant, sophisticated in their simplicity and ethereal in their delivery. His style is a perfect fit for independent rock, grunge, post punk and shoegaze genres, probably that’s why A Void chose to work with him again. Their previous collaboration, “The Gutter” signaled a slight shift in their musical direction and “Fish In Your Pocket” seems to continue the trend. A VOID are slowly ending their musical romance with the all American grunge in favour of more European sounds: British cold wave, French alternatif or to my surprise, the Scandinavian melodic indie rock of the 1990’s.
Don’t you worry: “Fish In Your Pocket” is still loud, still raw and very, very A VOID-esque. Camille and her band are trying on new sonical clothing, but we are not talking about sound change that would rattle their fanbase. I suspect one could think of this as some sort of an experiment to showcase their brilliance and, you know what, it works like a charm.
We spoke to Camille last month <ma<a and she described “Fish in Your Pocket” as a song “about letting go and accepting the reality you’ve been trying to evade for a while”. She also said that it touched on a subject of subconsciously repeating inherited patterns in relationships and never breaking the cycle – something that many of us actually struggle with. The patterns we saw in our parents’ marriages (or in any family relationships in general) are now our own personal ghosts that haunt us and shape many choices we are making. Listening to the lyrics of the song, we can nearly see ourselves and what we do. It almost feels like Camille is holding up a mirror and we are watching ourselves repeating the same mistakes our parents or our relatives did. It is hard to escape the circle, breaking out of the learnt behaviours and taking a different path. But once you realize you are falling for the familiar trap, you are free to act differently. You will have to work hard and the road through the unknown can be bumpy, but the change is possible – if you choose to take it.</ma
The track stands at just 2 minutes and 16 seconds but it will be 2 minutes and 16 seconds that you will not be able to easily forget. “Fish In Your Pocket” is set in the mid tempo range, slower in verses, faster in choruses, with almost math rock inspired ups and downs, twists and turns. It has this insanely radio friendly dancing beat that will get your legs moving and your backsides twerking – Camille should trademark it and charge other bands trying to imitate this, they are all failing miserably, let me tell you that. Few cease and desist letters and Camille could retire comfortable sometime next year. There is only one A VOID people that can pull that move off.
Now the video – all eyes on Camille, dressed sharply in a black bikini holding a champagne glass. Here you have it kids, a true, French-born rock and roll star showing Brits how it’s done. Playing guitar, dancing, holding a mop – she is the epitome of grace, allure and style. Of course, as with all A VOID’s videos, there is a lot of humour, self deprecation and tongue in cheekiness – fans are taught not to take anything too seriously. Yet it has to be pointed out that no matter what Camille wears, no matter how silly or funny she portrays herself to be, she looks perfectly on screen. Camille has something in her that puts her in the spotlight the moment you see her. She shines on camera, she shines on stage, she is in her element, putting everyone else in the corner. And this is the magic that draws people to A VOID – Camille is a fantastic show woman, the heart and soul of the band, the beating heart of it, the vision behind the music and lyrics.
“Fish In Your Pocket” is a brilliant, post grunge, alternative rock track proving that you don’t have to be signed to a label to be successful. Money helps, but no amount can buy talent, intuition and willingness to push forward. A VOID doesn’t look back – no matter what, they keep on going, and this is what’s matter.
A VOID 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
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 