Vernon Jane: The Ritual of Love Making – glorious wallowing in heartbreak

Just in case there are cobwebs hiding in the corner of your bedroom, along come Vernon Jane to blowtorch them away - to say the Dublin band are a force to be reckoned with on their debut album is a critical understatement.

While there is a sense they could tone it down ever so slightly to make an even more subversive point (that is, cut out the swearing that will deny them radio play), there is more often a feeling that what the world needs right now are bands with such commitment to saying it exactly as they mean it.

Fronted by Emily Jane and coming across as a cauldron-hot blend of Peaches and Fight Like Apes, Vernon Jane’s approaches to punk rock are negotiated through the dynamic (but not necessarily lifestyle) that straight-edge bands adopt. If there is a group aesthetic or stance, however, it seems driven more from a broken heart than a head-butt, a tactic the concept album gloriously wallows in.

Segmented into four parts (each represented by a song), the linchpin that is Emily Jane delves into areas that include humiliation, emotional accountability, affection, hostility, endearment and reconciliation.

The songs – including tracks such as Cleanse, Weapon Between her Legs, and F**k Her – take you hostage, push you in a bunker, lock the door and throw away the key. Bye, bye, you.
vernonejane.bandcamp.com