Ones2Watch Home

Dutch indie-rock band The Vices, with their unique blend of pop rock, alternative rock, and punk rock, boldly embrace the uncertainty of change oi their latest album, Before It Might Be Gone. Produced by Alt-J's Charlie Andrew, the album seamlessly intertwines the tension between accepting who you've been and discovering who you want to become. With simply irresistible melody, haunting harmony, and good old-quality songwriting, very much in the vein of their prior works, it seems the band is reaching newfound heights.

"Before It Might Be Gone is a raw, honest self-reflection of someone confronting themselves for the first time," shares frontman Floris van Luijtelaar. "It's a journey of change—woven with shame, fear, hope, happiness, and unconditional love. The focus track, 'Shaking Shoulder,' captures the bittersweet arc of love—falling deeply, feeling consumed, then facing doubt as everything shifts. I lived this. Even as I struggled, I wanted to be her safe place—the shoulder she could always lean on."

The ten-track body of work opens with the title track, "Before It Might Be Gone." Over its five-minute runtime, the track outlines a journey of personal struggle, where we bear witness to the struggles of those around us but hide our own through substance abuse and other coping mechanisms that strip away at our souls. Beyond the darkness, light can be found.

Down the tracklist, listeners are met with the introspective "How Does It Feel." This heartfelt anthem contemplates inner change and the realizations that come with it. It's about when you feel you can't do things the way you did before and the moment that you realize that you might have seriously screwed up some things that you really care about, like love, dreams, and ideals. But instead of giving into despair, you embrace the opportunity to discover more about yourself and accept that things need to change for progress and growth to flourish.

Throughout the album, the band displays a keen ability to create a distinctive atmosphere, time and time again. In "Hope You Know," the guitars and keyboards intertwine magically with leading and backing harmonizing vocals. The album's lead single, "Shaking Shoulder," is an infectious burst of energy. Its driving rhythm and upbeat tempo set the pace for the record. The track encapsulates the essence of love, loss, and vulnerability of navigating both.

The album's final track, "Still They Might Not Like It," examines the anxieties of people ultimately not liking or caring about your accomplishments. Over lulling, lightly psychedelic instrumentation and production, van Luijtelaar croons to the ether, "Is there anyone who knows / How the time shakes / Like a tinfoil memory inside / What should be easier to tell / What should be easier/ Though we try so hard / Still they might not like it."

At times, Before It Might Be Gone feels painfully confessional, but it embraces the excitement of reinvention and acknowledges the fear that comes with it. Every riff and lyric pulses with an emotional push-and-pull. It's hope laced with hesitation, joy tinged with uncertainty. It's this honesty that makes The Vices stand out from the pack. The band's name is a nod to embracing imperfections, and that ethos runs through the album. There's an unfiltered energy to their sound, a refusal to polish away the rough edges. With Before It Might Be Gone, The Vices proves that while change may be inevitable, losing yourself in the music is the best way to discover who you are.

The band is embarking on a North American tour to celebrate the release, with two special album release shows—February 20 at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn, New York, and February 27 at El Cid in Los Angeles.

Listen to Before It Might Be Gone below: