VILLINS – The Power

Villins 2021

VILLINS –
The Power

Charging their mirrorball with a local groove to roll to the top of the world, New York little and lightweight, but heavy and confident, ensemble turn it on and let it go.

The line between hard rock and disco hasn’t been too fine ever since “I Was Made For Loving You” crossed over the gap, though walking it gracefully remains a feat not a lot of artists are able to perform – but this duo do this in style. Their occasional stylistic wobble can pass for an arresting gyration and their tunes may serve as earworms to let the least movement-inclined listener slide through the day, so the small group’s debut EP signals the arrival of mighty contenders on a scene bursting with voluptuous divas and volume-obsessed guitarists.

No wonder, given Kareem Devlin was Lady Gaga’s on-stage sidekick, and Jesyka is a stentorian presence in her own right, the two of them marrying hefty sonics to nimble beats and memorable melodies. That’s why, while “Let’s Break Some Shit” revs up to take its refrain to a riffs-infested dancefloor and throws in a shade of shredding alongside recitative, the bass-spanked “Do It For The Thrill” throbs with electronica-tinctured soulfulness, oozing menace and sensuality in equal measures. Still, the real attention-grabbing songs on this mini-album are opener “Lightgiver” and the finale, the EP’s title track: the former an initially solemn, solid stomper that’s full of self-effacing swagger and six-string exotica – yes, oxymorons have the pride of place here – and the latter a cinematic exposé of the group’s expansive force, a mélange of filigree licks and molten vocals set to an irresistible groove of varying vigor.

There’s a multilayered rapture in “The Power”: lap it up – and you’ll get the gist of this alluring couple.

****1/2

March 26, 2021