by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Indianapolis' VV Torso know how to make an entrance. "Boy," the band's new stand-alone single, is a song about toxic masculinity, and its a great introduction. The quartet are making stark post-punk that nails it's message right in with quick sarcastic quips. They don't use a real refrain, it's not pretty, and it's most certainly not comfortable, but it's chilling and catchier than it lets on. Set to release their debut album, LPVV, later this Fall via Jurassic Pop Records, "Boy" is a precursor, something to wet your appetite; a statement that everyone should be paying attention.
Led by the slurred poetics of Natty Morrison, his bark is reminiscent of David Yow, while his lyrical bite owes more to Protomartyr's Joe Casey and Nick Cave. The focal point of the band's often hypnotic, often abrasive, and always filthy choice of guitar tones and dense rhythms, lies in Morrison's deranged howl. Built with melodic tension at every turn, "Boy" is a decidedly softer song than those on their debut, a calm before the storm. Where the record's tone is dragged through the dirt, "Boy" is clear and present, an immediate song that asks the tough questions, "what's it feel like to be a boy, my boy? what's it feel like to be a goddamn coward?" The song winds with a circular riff and a vibrant bass line, a smooth piece of post-punk sheen that rings and thrashes with a pop sensibility to keep it grounded.
Speaking about "Boy," Morrison said the song is about "Masculinity, the idiocy of masculinity. The ridiculousness of it. How this bullshit posturing is just a thin veneer for boys to feel better about hurting everyone around them."