Exclusive Stream: Scottish Post-Rock Band VASA’s Expansive New Song ‘Everything Is Golden’

With gilded guitar leads and molten rhythmic energy, Scottish post-rock band VASA dig into their sonic representation of growing up on their new song “Everything Is Golden.”

Bassist John Niblock of the Glasgow band tells us, “The title is a reference to the nostalgic feeling we get when reminiscing about our younger years when we lacked the burden of knowledge and responsibilities that come with growing older.” The track is taken from their upcoming second album Heroics, which releases on February 21st.

Starting with Niblock’s fuzzy basslines, VASA’s guitarists Blaine Thompson and Scott Coupar and drummer Niall Morison MacRae join in for a radiant track that showcases a bit of optimism (much like Irish instrumental rock band And So I Watch You From Afar) but also piles on the riffs. Niblock says the rest of the album “manifests itself in large riffs and larger breakdowns.” Heroics also has its thematic starting point in the idea of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. A press statement from the band adds, “It is an invitation for the listener to come on a shared journey which delves into our collective past, where they can choose to colour in the blanks with their own experience.”

Active since 2011 and releasing music since 2015 — their debut album Colours was out in October 2015 — VASA have performed at rock/metal festivals like ArcTanGent in the U.K. and also shared the stage with the likes of post-metal band Deafheaven, Chicago instrumental rock band Russian Circles and more. While Heroics was three years in the making, VASA are launching the album with a tour across the U.K., plus two shows in Germany and Holland through February, supporting hotly tipped American prog band Thank You Scientist.

Indirectly referring to the ongoing Brexit plans of the U.K., Niblock stresses on the importance for a band like theirs to “experience other parts of the world and find common ground with people from vastly different cultures to ours” and does express an interest in performing in India. He adds, “As with most bands, we’d love to bring our music to as wide an audience as possible, touring Asia in particular is a goal of ours as it feels like instrumental music can cross borders that more lyrically dense music may struggle with due to language barriers. India is of particular interest due to their history of gaining independence from the British Empire.”

Listen to “Everything Is Golden” below. Pre-order Heroics here.