After ten years under the moniker Japan Suicide, all of the members of the band have decided to cease producing music under this name and have reformed as Veranasi. It’s not just about a name change: it is a change of approach to their music highlighted by a decision to now sing exclusively in their native Italian tongue.
I was a huge fan of Japan Suicide (check out some earlier reviews). Veranasi’s first single, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ shows that the elements that made Japan Suicide one of the foremost Italian exports of gothic/shoegaze music remain firmly in place.
Can I detect a little more brightness, a little more commercial accessibility? Whatever it is, ‘Rosemary’s Baby is an absolute delight. Chiming guitars, massive Himalayan mountain range-sized choruses and that little hint of melancholia and malevolence. A vibrant and exciting start for Varanasi:
The Italian language fits the sound and adds to the mystique and romance for an English speaker. Was the rejection of the English language by Varanasi a riposte to Brexit? Who knows. It is a spectacular rebirth nonetheless.
2 comments