A Very Special Episode share their brilliant new EP, AVSE. The five-track release showcases intense, evocative instrumentation, raw and immediate performances, and memorable songwriting that feels as visceral and urgent as it is thoughtfully constructed.
Distorted guitars and instantly repeatable vocal hooks collide with the fuzzy noise of shoegaze and grunge, meeting the grit and physicality of noise rock. The result is a record that can shift from bruising heaviness to melody within moments, balancing abrasive textures with an instinct for memorable hooks.
‘But I’m A … Starr’ sets the tone with a wall of fuzzy guitar tones, sporadic lead guitar lines and vocal melodies to die for. The track’s mid-tempo pace gives it a grunge weight, while the yearning, catchy vocals sit in a more alternative-rock centre. Its raw intensity mirrors the band’s punk influences, immediately establishing the EP’s ability to balance melody with a more abrasive edge.
‘Def Bones’ brings a heavier rock feel with its relentless riff. The soaring vocals give the track a melodic flourish that is fully realised in the unexpectedly dreamy, Wolf Alice-esque chorus, where harmonies soar with a beautifully ethereal quality. This is sharply contrasted by bursts of jarring fuzz that cut into the verses, highlighting the band’s edgy appeal. Definitely one of the EP’s highlights, the track captures a band able to contrast beauty and noise while delivering interesting, challenging musicality that remains catchy and deserves repeat listens.
Elsewhere across the EP, ‘Suspirium’ brings a more obviously dark and brooding atmosphere, edging towards the gothic before shifting into a Queens of the Stone Age-esque instrumental break with some soaring guitar work. ‘Guilt’ brings atmospheric, stadium-esque shoegaze depth, before closing track ‘Too Cool’ leans into a more boxy, post-punk sound with spoken-word vocals, a four-to-the-floor beat and a festival anthem feeling. Its simple yet effective chorus melody gives the track an immediate appeal, while stepping back from the intense, fuzzy rock depth of the other tracks, ‘Too Cool’ is closer to Wet Leg than it is to the grunge and heavy-rock influences found elsewhere on the record.
The five tracks were originally intended as the beginnings of a third full-length record. Instead, the band decided that the material worked better as an EP, allowing the songs to exist together as a tighter and more immediate statement.
“We were originally planning a third full length but decided that an EP was best given the material we had written by the time we were able to start tracking,” the band say. “This record came together with friends old and new across multiple venues in Brooklyn – it’s one of the most chaotic, heartfelt, and fun production processes of our lives.”
The band have often been described in broad terms as alternative rock, although doom punk, noise pop and indie rock all appear in descriptions of their sound. There are also heavier influences running underneath it, from the bruising directness of Queens of the Stone Age to the kinetic energy of Die Spitz. Across AVSE, those influences are brought together without ever feeling overly familiar. A Very Special Episode instead use them as building blocks for something that feels immediate, noisy and melodic in equal measure.
Ultimately, AVSE feels like a confident snapshot of a band with plenty more to say. Across its five tracks, A Very Special Episode show an impressive ability to move between heaviness, melody, noise and atmosphere without losing their identity, bringing together grunge, shoegaze, noise rock and post-punk into something that feels distinctly their own. It is raw without feeling unfinished, melodic without sacrificing its edge, and chaotic without ever losing direction. For an EP born from the early stages of a much larger record, AVSE makes a compelling case for letting these five songs stand on their own.
