Appearing in October 2011, Two Enemies was the second single to be released by Versives ahead of their upcoming debut album Prussian Blushes which is set to materialise early this year. A haunting aural tale of escapism, this track floats on a slowly ebbing wave of subtle drums, keys, synth and bass lines. The resulting infusion not only facilitates but also advances the establishment of the lyrical theme. That is, the minimalist musical approach serves to highlight the lyrics which allude to escapism whilst also metaphorically reinforcing such allusions as this method evokes a laid-back atmosphere.
It is quite possible that the lyrics refer to life on the road as a touring musician, as evidenced by the fact that there are mentions of singing, strumming and strings throughout. The songwriter encapsulates the sensation of liberation ‘I like it when it feels like we’re always arriving / If we love the road we never have to leave’ and anonymity ‘Engrave their names / Forgotten as of eight o’clock this evening’ which accompany such a lifestyle. It is rather fitting that the song ends quite abruptly and the closing notes are rife with an air of something that is not quite resolved, akin to the cyclical nature of a musician’s career which requires one to up sticks on a semi-regular basis.
Remixed by Ciarán O’ Shea of former Cyclefly glory, All in Arrival is the similarly chilled out b-side to Two Enemies. It exists in an electronic parallel universe where voices are blurry but that’s ok, we don’t need to hear them, we all have an understanding. The climax of the song comes at about five minutes and twenty seconds in when it goes into bleep over-drive prompting us all to get off our respective couches for a bit of a rave before returning to a communal state of blissful sensory deprivation. When viewed as a whole, both tracks seem to point towards a slowly-paced, ethereal brand of electronica in terms of what direction Prussian Blushes might take. This is undoubtedly a style which serves them well. However in order to take things up that final notch, here’s hoping that a few more rave-inducing moments are thrown in for good measure.