Vogues: A Review of Tender Mercies
On the 28th of November, I had the privilege of seeing London-based musician Vogues at Canary Wharf for the sold-out launch party of their debut album, Tender Mercies. The outfits were stunning, the setting was scintillating (on a boat?), the atmosphere was intoxicating, but most importantly, the songs were brilliant.
Tender Mercies marks the debut album for Vogues, spanning nine tracks and covering roughly 34 minutes in total. It is an explorative synth pop album, with floating, thoughtful vocals and perfectly produced synths and instrumental, reminiscent of some of Clairo’s earlier albums. Vogues analyses desire, identity, relationships, the past and the future in these nine songs, creating a larger tapestry of queer love and identity.
The album comes out strong with ‘Blood Moon’, which is a personal favourite for me; the lyrics float melodically through the air, clean and clear, establishing a direct and dreamy tone for the album. The song closes on a perfect (though rather ironic for an album-opening song) line, “For you to lead a happy life you need to close the door.” Thus, Vogues makes clear from the outset of Tender Mercies that it is an album about growth and exploration, closing a door and not looking back.
My other favourite track from the album is ‘Kintsugi’. This word comes from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by sewing up the cracks with a golden lacquer. A philosophy extends out from this technique, which argues we must embrace imperfections, viewing mistakes as a unique, beautiful element of our story to be highlighted, rather than discarded. In the song ‘Kintsugi’, Vogues doesn’t look at the past with rose-coloured glasses, but rather, creates a fun, dancing pop song out of a frustrating past relationship. The relationship reflected on isn’t brilliant, but the song that comes out of it certainly is, and in this way, Vogues performs the metaphorical act of Kintsugi.
Some other highlights from Tender Mercies include ‘Cast Your Eyes’, ‘And Then Nothing’, and ‘Bliss’. ‘Cast Your Eyes’ has a summery, weightless, effortlessly cool feel to it, with kaleidoscopic combinations of vocals and electronic synths and guitars. It’s a flirtatious, confident song, ending in a breezy, direct line, “Cast your eyes / Over me / Let me know / If you’re free.” ‘And Then Nothing’ is an interesting, clever song. It is the exact half-way point in the tracklist, and after this song, there is a distinct change in the mood of the album, with more downtempo, mournful songs following it. The song, itself, mirrors this change, though in reverse: it begins with a dizzyingly slow, sorrowful tone, suddenly shifting to a fun, upbeat tone halfway through. Lastly, ‘Bliss’ is one of those classic, beautiful songs – there’s a lot of wonderful experimentation in this album, but this song goes back to the unbeatable, breath-taking piano ballad. Vogues adds heart-breaking lyrics and a gorgeous string crescendo to create a standout song in ‘Bliss’.
Across nine tracks, Vogues has created a profound, ebullient and thoughtful world. With enticing lyrical storytelling and wonderfully explorative synths, Tender Mercies shows an artist carving out their place in the world – a place full of queer expression, love, pop, desire and creativity.
