ViVii –now there’s a name from the past.
I recall missing a gig of theirs at the Reeperbahn Festival in Germany because I hadn’t changed the time on my watch and was still on UK time, an hour behind. Doh!
I’ve only once written about them in NMC but they were firm favourites for a while when I was writing for other publications.
That ‘once’ was back in 2022, a single called ‘Wrap your arms’ and I suspect they’ve done here what they did then – write a song as an instrumental, hung on a memorable hook, and then add appropriate lyrics later.
They say it captures, “that moment when you realise that something is already changing, despite still standing in the middle of it.” (Don’t just do something; stand there, as Ronald Reagan used to say).
So they conclude that “it is not the case that nothing matters because everything is temporary – it’s quite the opposite. The fact that things don’t last is exactly what gives them meaning. It’s about dancing while you still can, knowing that the song will eventually end.”
“The tempered ways/they always fail” as they sing.
And I believe there’s a hint of Wabi Sabi in there too, the Japanese philosophy and aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity.
That said, the lyrics suggest a bit more depth, implying a disagreement between a couple as to how to progress something or other. It might be something mundane like whether or not to buy a new sofa at IKEA this weekend or it might concern the fact that their relationship has hit a wall because he won’t engage in a Kama Sutra position that she loves because it brings on his sciatica.
At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. As it says on the tin, it’s all temporary anyway so shape up or ship out.
Musically it’s just so Vivii. Melodies and hooks must grow on trees in their back garden as low hanging fruit. It’s dreamy but there’s no danger you will ever be sent to sleep.
(Continues after the Spotify link).
ViVii consists of Gothenburg husband and wife Caroline and Emil Jonsson and the ‘quiet man’, the producer and multi-instrumentalist you often don’t even realise is there; Anders Eckeborn, who hails from Uppsala, north of Stockholm, which is where some their music is recorded, in Anders’ studio on an industrial estate by all accounts.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivii.music/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivii.official/
X: https://twitter.com/Vivii_official
