The astonishing level of detail on Vernons Future’s latest single never ceased to surprise me along the song’s generous length of 5 minutes, and despite revolving around a relatively simplistic core, it is that sheer amount of sonic detailing that made ‘Steerpike’ such an engaging experience.
Vernons Future are a veteran London band with history that dates back to the 1980s golden age of indie, when their first incarnation, then based in Liverpool, spawned an acclaimed album on a revered local label called Probe Plus. The band got back together in 2015 and have since put out an acclaimed second album and a number of singles. Their sound on ‘Steerpike’ is driven by tremolo-ed guitars that lend the song a vintage vibe, and along with timeless sounding synths and a voice carved by the hands of time, ‘Steerpike’ has a very momentous air to its confident stride.
With a dynamic composition that cuts its bread by staying outside of the boundaries of the familiar major scale chords, the modal chord structures sound alien and inviting, and greatly exciting. The general rhythmic restraint leaves more than ample space for guitars and synths to roam freely on top, giving the band space to introduce layers of details in the song’s various verses, choruses, and bridges, never once letting the song run stagnant.
From the James Bond-esque guitar line to the beastly fuzzed synth near the end, all ideas are neat, serve the sonic narrative, and add value to ‘Steerpike’. An inventive, multi-faceted gem from a band of veterans.