We all know the feeling of crawling into bed early, closing our eyes and then suddenly remembering all the mistakes we’ve made since 2014. And we’re still awake! Again! This feeling of mental chaos is very particular and Spanish musician Edu Campoy appears to have created the perfect soundtrack for it. Under his solo project V.E.N! (Virtual Emotions Network), Campoy produces power pop and alt rock to rival your own midnight doubts and growing fears of the existential kind.
His latest six song EP Waking Up In The Night tackles self-awareness and awakening, the human connection and evolution, and contemplating the beyond. Waking Up In The Night builds on anthemic guitar riffs, has some spacey guitar parts, and lasts for a reasonable 20 minutes. Honestly, I think that’s enough time to contemplate the human condition. We don’t need 90 minutes.
V.E.N! Combines elements of 1960s pop, Britpop, post-punk and alt rock and manages to produce a sound that’s poppy, yet joyfully bizarre. Fuzzy guitars, textured arrangements, and excursions from serenely still to super loud fill this EP with its soul, and there are a few traces of Americana in there, too, harmonizing nicely with the psychologically rich tracks and vivid stories.
It’s the song that, more than any other, best exemplifies the way in which Campoy approaches songwriting, and one that most clearly reveals what is hidden beneath the relatively straightforward melodies. Opening with a straightforwardly introductory melody, but with a depth and complexity that reveals its development as you listen, there is something quite different here from your standard guitar-pop compositions. The balance of the writing is almost nervous, placid and placating, yet also frenetic and destructive, and the specifics of the track relate to it being written about a desire to make contact, a song that leaves room for interpretation.
Then with “Break The Compass” the focus comes off of connection and onto wandering and finding one’s way alone. The breaking off of the compass conjures the image of leaving the comfort of a guided map, but the pounding alt-rock guitars keep the momentum of the concept advancing. Fittingly a song after “Connection,” it describes the hard road of self-connection.
Next we have, The Scared Animal, that dips into darker, more anxious territory about feeling vulnerable and reacting instinctively when under threat. Crossing The Last Valley carries on that feeling, but feels more kinetic, musically. The image that springs to mind is trying to push your way through a difficult period, maintaining the strength to push forward. The two songs add emotion to the record without feeling oppressive.
The final two tracks, “Evolution” and “The Home Of The New Man,” reflect this notion of change and renewal. The former deals with the idea of people evolving and getting better, whilst the latter brings the whole record to an end with the simple idea of taking what has gone before and using it to make something new. This makes a good way to finish an EP that has spanned so much grey territory.
Campoy proves that true songwriting can exist perfectly well in a world of raucous, energetic music. The guitars are heavy, the melodies are strong and the ambient touches give every tune space to stretch and breathe. Most importantly, the six songs are all cohesive through the wondering they do about inter-personal bonds, impermanence and the desire to bring order to disorder.
Waking Up In The Night is a warm-up to V.E.N! With simple tunes and contemplative concepts. It doesn’t claim to solve any mysteries. What it does is provide a half-hour of energetic music for anyone who has been wide awake at the strike of 12:00am wondering about everything. You’re not alone. I wish I could say the same about sleep.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
