Finnish Love Metal pioneer, Ville Valo (VV) of HIM, has shared third single “The Foreverlost”, taken from his forthcoming first solo album, ‘Neon Noir’.
The album will be released on January 13 via Heartagram Records and distributed by UMG/Spinefarm. — Pre-order it HERE
“‘The Foreverlost’ is yet another loud love song depicting the burlesque butoh between two world-weary souls. All my Carmina Buranas and ‘could’ve should’ve would’ves’ rolled into a neat little Gordian knot of the gothic variety.”
‘NEON NOIR’ TRACK LIST:
“Echolocate Your Love”
“Run Away From the Sun”
“Neon Noir”
“Loveletting”
“The Foreverlost”
“Baby Lacrimarium”
“Salute the Sanguine”
“In Trenodia”
“Heartful of Ghosts”
“Saturnine Saturnalia”
“Zener Solitaire”
“Vertigo Eyes”
VV’s headline tour of Europe, the UK, and North America has already sold out across a number of cities. Get tickets HERE
ABOUT VILLE VALO:
In the annals of 21st century alternative rock history, there are few artists who cast a longer or more peculiar shadow than Finnish Love Metal pioneer Ville Valo. After all, his band HIM was easily among the most iconic and idiosyncratic groups of the millennium.
Zealously revered, gleefully reviled but impossible to ignore, their music left an indelible mark on a worldwide legion of fans. The scarlet letters stood for “His Infernal Majesty.” Their founder stood for something delightedly out of step with the status quo.
“We only hoped to temporarily redirect hard rock’s blood flow from the nether regions towards the heart,” reminisces Valo, the singer, songwriter, and primus motor of HIM. Judging by the monolithic presence of the Heartagram in any account of music this side of the millennium, it’s apparent that he succeeded.
Inspired by everyone from Poe to Bukowski and tinged by a penchant for perfumed Sabbathian gloom, Valo’s creative lovechild would produce eight era-defining studio releases and over 10 million record sales, including a Grammy nomination, countless magazine covers, critical acclaim, and the veneration of a generation. Thus, it came as no surprise that the news of a farewell tour in 2017 was greeted with shock and disbelief among devotees and caused endless speculation as to what or who was to take up the velvet mantle.
“As fun as the funeral rites for HIM were, it took me more than a few moons to lick my wounds in the shadow of the Heartagram and come up with an excuse to strum and hum again. Eventually, I decided to put a leash on my beloved black dog and we started howling together instead of barking at each other. That’s how “Loveletting” was born.”
“Loveletting”, the first single off VV’s debut album ‘Neon Noir’, out in early 2023, suggests this new infernal mix of light and shade is nothing short of a landmark release from one of modern music’s most distinctive and intriguing voices. It belongs to the same forlorn world of woe and whimsy once conceived and governed by Valo in HIM, but with the nuanced notes of a fine aged Cabernet.
“Artistically speaking, the main difference between HIM and VV is the extra line in the Heartagram, but what an exquisite line it is! It’s the Mamas and the Papas dressed up as Metallica on their way to a Halloween bash at the Studio 54, and now who wouldn’t want to witness that?”
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