V+ is the new album from Detroit deathgaze duo, VAZUM. Released Friday, June 25th, V+ consists of ten visceral songs inspired by heartbreak, hauntings and hallucinations. Zach Pliska (vocals/guitar/drums) and Emily Sturm (vocals/bass) recorded the album in their home studio, making a conscious effort to ditch digital plugins and go for a raw and organic sound. In deathgaze fashion there are plenty of layered guitars, reverbed vocals and fuzz pedals atop propulsive drums and bass. Zach and Emily equally contributed to the songwriting process and share vocal duties throughout the album. The sound of the album is rooted in post-punk, goth rock and psych rock. Lyrically, V+ speaks out against domestic violence, hypocrisy, environmental ruin, idol worship and social media influencers and trolls. The duo released 2 singles, Haunted House and The Familiar in May with accompanying music videos. With V+ comes a brand new music video for the song Loved 2 Death (watch here) filmed and directed by VAZUM. V+ is available for free download from the VAZUM bandcamp page along with the rest of the VAZUM discography.
Tracklist (all clean except for Salem)
1. The Familiar 04:32
2. Haunted House 06:27
3. Loved 2 Death 07:06
4. Unspoken 05:30
5. Salem 6:00 (explicit)
6. Razor Smile 05:15
7. Eats Away 06:39
8. Psychonaut 04:56
9.One Breath 05:32
10. Save Yourselves 06:24
VAZUM (pronounced either vaz-um or va-zoom) was formed in 2017 by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Zach Pliska. VAZUM has self-released several albums spanning genres from post-punk to doom. Zach began as a drummer in Detroit area bands in which he gained experience touring, writing and recording. After cycling through various band members with VAZUM, Zach found a strong connection in vocalist/bassist Emily Sturm, who joined the band in 2019. With a background in the visual arts Emily has given the band an uncompromising aesthetic edge and sound. The duo have focused their sound in what they describe as deathgaze, which combines the raw energy of deathrock with the depth of shoegaze.
