Vallens

The Garrison, Toronto ON, February 17

Photo: Atsuko Kobasigawa

BY Tom BeedhamPublished Feb 18, 2017

8
Coming off a solid run of steady gigging in support of their June-released Consent, Robyn Phillips and the rest of Vallens used their half hour to debut a hungrier, more corrosive version of their goth-washed noise-gaze — think less mood, more menace.
 
With a block of new material at the ready, new tracks unfolded as dark, heavy exercises in frenetic tension building, while early repertoire got pushed into the fast lane here, pumped up with the extra protein to make that work. That meant "Consent" became a (surprisingly) groovier animal, also dazzling with broader, louder appearances of Marta Cikojevic's cosmic synth atmospheres. When the group hit the chorus of set opener "Tennessee Haze," fans were actually pogoing on the spot.

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