World Premiere: Viretta - "This Garden's Over (A)"

Following years of writing and recording, Viretta’s upcoming 12-track album The Fear is now less than a month away from release. And lucky us! The record release will coincide with the band’s recently announced support slot for British arena-rockers The Struts at The Ogden Theater on May 18th! Now, with a killer new album and a killer new show lined up, Viretta is making good on their promise with the 2nd of 3 previously announced music videos from The Fear: punchy rock track, “This Garden’s Over (A)”.

If the video for last month’s barn burner “Cordyceps” gave a taste of Viretta’s dark side, the new video for “This Garden’s Over (A)” does exactly the opposite. Coming late on the record at Track 7, “Garden” finds the band in a much happier place. Though laced throughout with punchy hits and a BIG chorus, the song bounces along with a lightness that feels laid-back and fun.

Filmed last summer by guitarist Rob Moroni who, “had literally zero experience filming anything,” the video documents his and frontman Mike Moroni’s first trip to Nashville, where they meet up with fellow Denver songwriters Mason Maxwell (P O P F I L T E R) and Chase Martinez (REDLANDS). The boys visit Nashville’s Third Man Records, grill burgers, eat tacos, and dance the night away with friends. Rob was initially unsure of whether any of the footage would be usable, but with only the simplest of directions—“You guys, dance!”—the finished video is full of great, spontaneous moments. At one point Rob and Mason even convince a trio of ice cream servers to start a karate fight in the middle of their shift!

Overall, “This Garden’s Over (A)” is a love letter to long distance friends, the pleasures of barbeque, and good company. But for Viretta, it’s another exciting chapter from their new album, The Fear. Pre-Order The Fear and stream new tracks from the album below!

PRE-ORDER THE FEAR: https://bit.ly/2GlMhgK
SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/2j2Ja1U
WEBSITE: virettaband.com

 

The Time Is Now For Viretta: A Journey Into Rock's Unknown Future

What’s a Viretta? For the better part of the 2010’s, Viretta has been somewhat of a cipher. Known throughout the scene for their hard-hitting live shows, and constantly changing lineup, the alt-rock act has a surprising number of accomplishments under their belt. Having headlined or played sold-out shows in nearly every venue in Denver, including a modest Bluebird headliner back in 2014, the group still seems to be one of the most well-known low-key bands in Denver, despite being literally in two places at once. “I think most people hear Viretta and think, ‘aren’t they that twin band..?’” laughs frontman Mike Moroni. He hears this all the time. Paired with identical twin brother Rob Moroni, the two are hard to miss walking down Broadway, and turn many the confused head. So… what’s a Viretta? And why are they releasing a 12-track rock record on CD in the Pop-dominated city of Denver? Although it may not seem like it, the answer has been a long time coming.

Tracking their time on the Denver Music Scene, Viretta are kind of hard to nail down. A smattering of EP’s here and there, the odd single, a music video with Bear masks, a strong focus on their live show, rather than their recordings. When it all comes together, we see a picture of a band led more by their impulses than their rationale. Take 2016’s Ready For Rock Vol. 1 , a compilation record of local rock acts the band put together themselves to benefit local music non-profit Youth On Record. During a year which also saw guitarist Rob Moroni doing double duty as bassist for Denver pop-act P O P F I L T E R, it’s hard to tell where VIRETTA’s going to show up next. Bombing the stage at last year’s Hometown For The Holidays with Bad Noise Bears? Or headlining Larimer Lounge as Radiohead with P O P F I L T E R as Phoenix and Valienta as The Killers? Whatever the rationale, they’re back again with their brand new album: THE FEAR.

“We’ve been recording this album for a long time,” Rob starts. He’s not wrong. Slow boiling since early 2016, Mike, Rob, and drummer Jon Cales self-recorded the album (a first for the band) twice; spending much of 2017 in their basement studio scrapping the first cut of the record. “It wasn’t right,” Mike says quickly. “We didn’t have it yet.” For the second iteration, the band turned to their friends. Recording drums with fellow UCD alum Kyle Smith at Side 3 Studios, and seeking out Brandon Whalen of My Body Sings Electric to craft the perfect bass tone, the record entered production yet again. Embracing their own quixotic energy, the band felt liberated to create and destroy at a moment’s notice. “We asked ourselves, what if we literally said yes to every single crazy idea we have? In the end, everything was game,” says Jon excitedly. This makes The Fear like nothing the group has produced before. With the foundation laid, the band finished recording guitars and vocals in their project studio at home. It took the rest of 2017 for Mike to mix the record (another first), a process he described as: “Hell.”

Viretta enjoying some fine icy treats. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Viretta enjoying some fine icy treats. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Nevertheless it’s clear that there is love on this record. Take, “You Are My IV,” the band’s first new song in years.

The band channels its inner Radiohead with the "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi-esque" jam. A carefully layered track that starts off soft into a infectious transition only to subtly go into a well executed strumming gem midway through the song. -Castro

They’ve dubbed the album’s sound Basement Hi-Fi: “Half the record sounds amazing,” says Mike “the other half sounds like shit.” Sounds about right for a band defined by extremes. The Fear captures VIRETTA at their most honest and their most reticent; their most exciting and their most vulnerable. Slated for release on May 26th, the band intends to drop three new music videos ahead of the release. “People are going to be sick of us. It’s gonna be amazing,” says Rob. It’s anyone’s game what VIRETTA will do next. All we know, is it won’t be boring. 

THE FEAR is now available to pre-order for $10 on the link below.

Preorder Viretta’s new album “The Fear”

Stream You Are My IV: http://bit.ly/2C2u9Kq
Website: virettaband.com  

Tracklisting: 1. Fear at 17 2. Cordyceps 3. People Are Snakes 4. Lachrymal 5. Snap The Branches 6. Avidazen 7. This Garden's Over (A) 8. This Garden's Over (B) 9. You Are My IV 10. How To Wield The Knife 11. After Image 12. ---