Viji, the London-based Austrian-Brazilian artist, has shared a dark, hook-heavy new single titled “Karaoke” The track is taken from her highly-anticipated debut album So Vanilla and comes on the heels of her fuzz laden lead single “Sedative”, which has been added to BBC Radio 6 Music’s A-list just one week after being added to the playlist. The new album is due out 27th October via London tastemaker label Speedy Wunderground.
Referencing the easy, sleazy sounds of the 90s, Viji – real name Vanilla Jenner – has been cementing herself as one of the most exciting alternative artists to watch in the UK right now. Having previously released music on Dirty Hit, she recently signed to Speedy Wunderground and has rapidly built a loyal fanbase whilst receiving widespread plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Introducing, Jack Saunders & Nels Hilton, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, CLASH, Dork, DIY, Wonderland, So Young, and many more.
So Vanilla was recorded predominantly in London, in partnership with four-time Mercury Prize nominated producer and Speedy Wunderground label head, Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., Kae Tempest, Wet Leg). Having finished So Vanilla in November 2022, Viji relays that every song had a different writing process – some saw her and Carey playing guitar chords together for hours, until the sounds fused into one, and others came from late night ramblings at home.
Combining rhythmic, captivating alt-pop inflected lyrics with understated lo-fi instrumentation, the new single is a party anthem calling for chaos showing a more understated side to Viji’s sound. Speaking on the track, Viji says, “Karaoke is a song that came out of a silly 10 min jam at the end of a writing session. I remember picking up the bass and just riffing with some filthy low-end sounds. Dan (Carey) felt the magic and we recorded 3 or 4 minutes of us going for it, followed by some guide vocals inspired by shouty Japanese punk songs I like. What the lyrics actually turned into is such a time stamp of what I was going through at that very moment”
The single is accompanied by an eerie new video, Viji continues to say, “the video is a collaboration with director Claryn Chong, whose made my sexy nightmares come to life. As an homage to where the album ‘So Vanilla’ was recorded, we filmed the video on Streatham high street in London. Speedy Wunderground central!”
Discussing how inspirations come to her songwriting process, Viji mentions that “Down’s” writing session originated from a frustratingly happy period in her life and “Ambien”, “I chipped away at the lyrics the whole summer. The song has so many verses, I wrote around 13 in the end.” The stripped back song Blanket came together quickly. Thinking she was just playing around, Viji then realized it was done. With an eerie cello part and three chords, this was the most serendipitous song recorded on the album.
Her approach to shoe-gazy rock, raw instrumentals and vocal delivery makes her stand out as one of the most exciting UK artists to watch, pioneering what rock music can sound like in the modern era.
To celebrate the release of the new album Viji will also play a number of instore events and live dates. The dates come on the heels of a string of packed out London shows over the last month including Speedy Wunderground’s 10th anniversary party, where she played alongside label mates and alumni such as: Kae Tempest, Heartworms, O. Moreish Idols, The Lounge Society, and many more. Check out an exclusive gallery of the event that Viji shot for CLASH HERE.
Upcoming dates are as follows:
21st September – Reeperbahn Festival – Hamburg, Germany –
23rd September – Float Along Festival – Sheffield
14th October – Beyond the Music Festival – Manchester
22nd October – SWN Festival – Cardiff
28th October – Jacaranda – Liverpool
29th October – Jumbo – Leeds
30th October – Rough Trade – London
1st November – Pie & Vinyl – Southsea
2nd November – Vanilo – Southampton
5th November – Mutations Festival – Brighton
Guestlist available upon request
So Vanilla is out 27th October via Speedy Wunderground Pre-order HERE
Viji ‘So Vanilla‘ Tracklisting:
1. Anything
2. Down
3. Sedative
4. Sundress In Pink
5. Karaoke
6. Blanket
7. Sharks
8. Slip Out Quiet
9. 1850
10. Say Hi
11. White Lighter
12. Ambien
