With Versoma's debut offering, Life During Wartime, it would be extremely easy to make assumptions about the sound based off the previous bands of its members (having done time in Anodyne and Lickgoldensky, amongst others). But that would be a huge disservice to this short and sweet EP. This record is chock full of noise laden guitars that establish an interesting backdrop for the more melodic guitar parts. The vocals are peculiarly absorbing and give another layer to the band's overall sound.
"Gods and Queens" is a good song. The music is thick sounding but very noisy sounding at the same time. The bridge has a really good groove and changes the feel of the track real well. The vocals fit nicely with what the music is doing, giving the track an urgent feel. "Symbols and Abbreviations" features the deeper vocals of the other vocalist. The music has a more relaxed mood than the first song. There are some interesting melodic guitar passages that Versoma produces that provide some ear catching sounds while at the same time maintaining that noisy edge that is evident throughout the Life During Wartime.
"November 2004" is even more laid back sounding than the previous track. It returns to the vocals of the higher pitched vocalist. The intensity of the song gradually builds as the song progresses while the music has a layered effect to it and ends with a cascading sound quality. The lyrics towards the end draw my attention with the following lines, "Your arms are a mess / How can you go out into public like that / What would your parents say / I've invested / I'm invested." "Come in Alone" has some real noisy parts to it that are tempered by fuller parts that tie everything together. The line, "Nobody likes to kill like the white man" is pretty good; and, although I am pulling it out of context, it immediately drew my attention to the lyrics of the song and extra spins just to try to get the lyrical gist of the song.
Versoma surprises many with this first EP. Life During Wartime really is not similar to Anodyne or Lickgoldensky. The real trick is whether or not this is a tease. It has loads of potential. I was taken aback by its simultaneously noisiness and odd tunefulness. This is well worth your time if you are into noisy guitar driven music. Hopefully, this is just a teaser record and there will be more to come from the band.
