It sets the tone with cinematic opener DEPARTURE, which welcomes ‘user 17359’ and informs the listener that we will ‘shortly be departing Trinity lunar port for Mars Sanctity terminal’. The real blast-off begins with the explosive TAINTED, a glorious mix of poppy vocals and hulking riffs that VUKOVI frequently do so very well. Quickly Janine’s personality takes this music to the next level, as she rages seemingly off-the-cuff on LASSO (‘Fuck that, fuck you too!’) and laughs her way through QUENCH.
Soon, too, you also realise how, behind the whirlwind songs, there’s enormous depth and meaning. On album highly I EXIST, the singer asserts that, ‘You’ve got to fight / It’s a temporary feeling, not like suicide,’ while on HURT she reflects, ‘I’ll never be whole but I’m a fighter / Kick me in the dirt but still like dust I rise.’
It all makes for a glorious listening experience that’s compellingly confident and catchy. As they gain even more momentum, there’s no doubt VUKOVI will continue to seize every opportunity that comes their way – and deservedly so.