Out today, ‘Night & Day – Night Edition’ from The Vamps is ten songs inspired by heartbreak.
Lead singer, Brad Simpson, said:
“At one point or another, all four of us have been heartbroken – which is sad! But songwriting is the biggest catharsis and outlet.
“Every person in life goes through it. At the same time, it’s you coming to terms with who you are as a person … there’s a lot to get your head around.”
There’s a lot of collaboration on this album, notably the lead track, ‘Middle Of The Night’, which features Danish DJ Martin Jensen. Matoma, Mike Perry, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tini also sing, but it’s definitely a Vamps album, if a more EDM sound for the quartet. Simpson also adds that it’s more mature than their previous releases:
“It’s a bit more honest and telling of stories of things that have happened to us over the past couple of years.
“It was a bit of a departure from previous albums. A lot of the songs are catered to the concept of the album which is different for us.”
‘All Night’ is upbeat and is dance-floor and remix-ready with its hooky chorus and understated instrumentation and laid back vocals. It’s certainly designed for radio play as well, and we have visions of it being A-list played on Radio 1.
‘Hands’, with Mike Perry and Sabrina Carpenter, is again an up-tempo dance track, and has all the classic old-skool EDM signatures, such as swirling rhythms and stabby beats.
‘Same To You’ starts out sounding like classic Vamps, with more traditional instrumentation, but the sad, emotive lyrics highlight the more mature sound they’re hoping to achieve.
The stand-out track on the album however is ‘Paper Hearts’. We had the privilege of seeing The Vamps at London’s O2 back in May and this song was a definite crowd pleaser, accompanied by a great lyric video which saw contributions from many fans. With gentle acoustic guitar and keys, and vocals dominating, this is the most across-the-board song on the album.
‘Shades On’, is back to traditional Vamps – slightly naughty lyrics – “oh boy look at that ass/get your eyes up to my face/cos I can see right through your shades” and an upbeat tempo. The guys get their harmonies on during the chorus as well, ensuring this track will please both old and new fans alike.
‘It’s A Lie’, features Argentine actress, model, singer and dancer, Tini (real name Martina Stoessel), who gives exactly the right feel to the calypso/Latin style track.
‘Stay’ takes us back to acoustic guitar, which is, to my way of thinking, The Vamps’ strength. As with the rest of the tracks it’s a deeply emotional and stirring song, with the vocals reminiscent of McFly.
‘My Place’ is another upbeat emotive song, with the protagonist pleading someone to come back to his place…we feel they have history, she’s not sure about the proposition at all, she’s been down this road before, and we can’t help but think he’s only interested in her because of their past. Should she give him another chance? We’re not sure we would.
Last track, ‘Sad Song’, is Beiberesque, with very pleasing light doo-wop style backing vocals. Of all the tracks, this is the only one which isn’t actually sad – which is somewhat ironic given the title.
All in all – ‘Night & Day – Night Edition’ is a great album which is bound to please both new and existing fans alike. The easy-listening, more “Vamps-like” tracks will appeal across a large spectrum of listeners, while the EDM tracks should open up the band to a wider audience.
‘Night & Day – Night Edition’ is out now through Virgin EMI Records, can be purchased and streamed here.
The Vamps wrapped their massive UK arena tour in May but the British four-piece show no sign of slowing down. They recently travelled around the country for their ‘Night & Day – Up Close and Personal Album Tour’, and next week they take part in a series of album signings at HMV stores. Info on all dates can be found on their official website.
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