It may be pure coincidence but the UK's weather turned warm and sunny the day Vic Allen's new single arrived. Much like the cover which shows Vic looking fabulous, seemingly under the gaze of the sun which may confuse a few folk when we tell you that the title is in fact "Bad Weather".
It's been a little while since we heard from Vic, when she closed out the "Some Place I'd Rather Be" project with a clutch of rather fine acoustic alternate versions of some of the tracks. If that closed one chapter then a new one is definitely about to start with "Bad Weather"
There's a bright new sound, like before only more so!! - yet it is safe to say we still get an artist with a keen ear for a melody and who who has a vision for her overall sound and presentation.
From the opening emphatic drumbeat there is an immediate sense of something different, the guitars are more chugging electric than delicately picked acoustic. It builds a platform for Vic to outline what's been happening.
"Life hasn't been kind to me lately
I took a wrong turn and now I'm caught up in this tide
It's taken me further out from my peace of mind
I wish that I, could find my way back home"
There is then a little tease of a line, delaying us getting to the chorus -
"As my hope starts fading - I feel something changing"
It is only as the last decibels of changing disappear that an electric guitar note signals a total change on pace. the arrival of keyboard also marks a major contributor to the future overall sound.
The chorus is a burst of sound, with Vic's vocal on an upwards trajectory at the end of each line, giving it a unique feel
"Just hold on - this will pass
Storms like this, they don't last
Don't lose sight, hold your ground
Because daylight's right behind those clouds
You can't strip - the sky of grey
But you can live though all the pain
Knowing things are so much better
On the other side of bad weather"
With a little "whoa ho ho"chant to top things off this is a most glorious return to active duty.
If the first verse felt very like Vic explaining her situation to someone else, the remaining verses could either be seen as advice to others or a memo to herself should things get bleaker again.
"Take - a moment to feel sun on your face
Cos they'll all be history - those dark days
And soon you'll be looking back
On something you tried to forget so bad
That is not so bad"
The final section also acts as a pep talk and finishes with the final line being delivered with a certain self assured confidence and acts as one final reminder as if needed of what can be achieved.
"Under all the lightning strikes -
It'll take you down and take all night
Darkness always turns to sun
It's been waiting all along
You'll be blinded by the glow
Some day you'll look back and know
That if this sky turns black again
You can make it through a hurricane"
A magnificent return to form, Vic has not only picked up where she left off but has sprinted onward to the next staging post in her career. With at least 4 other tracks already in the can of varying styles and another one already sounding like a future classic even though only teased in a 51 second clip of Vic playing it at a piano, the rest of the year is already looking brighter.
Bad Weather is available to pre save and get an exclusive early listen https://vicallen.ffm.to/badweather
It is actually released July 5th.