Trio VRWRK has released their 10-track debut album ‘On the Outside’ – so fans of 2017’s bangers, ‘Face It’ and ‘Hearts Beating In Sync,’ rejoice. The electro-pop innovators comprise of East London-based producers Matt Sey, Jergan Callebaut, and vocalist Salem Khazali; a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a graphic designer respectively. In other words – a big middle-finger to all the house music cynics out there. This music is intelligent and modernistic, showcasing effervescent poptronica superimposed with smooth soul; transporting its listener through chilled, summery vibes to rowdy Saturday night mayhem.
‘On The Outside’ has been released through VRWRK’s London-based label Run Tell Secrecy – a creative platform “driven by authenticity, human emotions, and the alternative truth” (as told to NME). The collective has built a presence hosting events in London alongside fellow creatives such as Tony Njoku and Rondo Mo, as well as providing a creative outlet for visuals and apparel.
The dynamic trio has been quick to make their presence known across Europe, playing both Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop festival, stamping their mark at Amsterdam Dance Event and Eurosonic – and even mingling with fashion luminaries at Hermés fashion shows.
Incredibly introspective, VRWRK is quick to express their analytical side – showing fans why they have daytime professions alongside their musical careers. ‘Face It,’ a single that gained traction last year, is noted by Jergan as “a song about finding yourself through others, the interplay of ego’s, expectations and the projection of our own feeling on the people we relate to. It’s about how the people we love show us our dark side. It’s about the paradoxical sense of personal growth and development during the breakdown of a relationship.”
The popular house track ‘Hearts Beating in Sync’ details the emergence from post-breakup blues, capturing the essence of “meeting new people and rediscovering old friends,” the fizz of becoming reacquainted with fresh freedom as a de novo singleton.
A reflection of their psychoanalytic minds, each track on ‘On The Outside’ has a story to tell, adding another layer to the complexity of their artistry. As told by VRWRK;
The fourth single ‘You Feel Me (Utterly Amazing)’, navigates “the obsession with a famous person as an individual. How close to reality is the image of the icon?”
‘Wait It Out’ reflects “a feeling we can all relate to, we feel ourselves drifting through life but deep down we can’t help but feel there’s a force pushing us towards that one person. The person you keep running back to.”
‘Different Crowd’ and its conceptualisation of change captures a time where “loads of things were shifting. It’s a sort of introspective pep-talk where I had to be like, right — there are certain energies you can’t take forward with you right now.”
“On The Outside’ served as a catharsis for the three of us. It’s about personal development through eye-opening moments inside and outside our passionate relationships. It is about how we tend to project an idea to others; how this turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, about how people want to see us, who people want us to be, what they want from us.
‘On The Outside’ tries to capture the feeling of being alone while being surrounded by people. The inner struggles from being in a relationship or outside of relationships. Being on the outside refers to the negative space of our ‘inner self’.”
VRWRK is headlining at Corsica Studios in South London on November 1st – cop your tickets HERE.
‘On The Outside’ is available to stream on Spotify HERE.
FOLLOW VRWRK on INSTAGRAM