PRAY WITH VANA: SINGLE REVIEW

aotearoa/New Zealand metalcore artist Vana (and new Sumerian sign, congratulations!) has got us all praying to her with her latest single.

I will make no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of Vana and have been trying to introduce her to every alternative music fan I know since I found her when she released beg! last year; even placing her in my "20 up & coming front women of metal" back in April, and there is a reason for that. Vana is an incredible talented artist and I will talk about how skilled she is all day given half the

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chance, so let's get into the breakdown of 'pray'. "Yeah, you better pray to God (Pray to God, pray to God), That I get what I want (What I want, what I want), Yeah, the rapture has begun, Don't you wanna fall to your knees, Make you say pretty please? I'm a mother f*cking God". Vana uses a variety of vocal techniques Throughout the track from ethereal highs, heavy hitting chest voice, domineering talk-singing, a wide range of screams and my personal favourite, blegh! The vocals are arranged in a way that keeps you on your toes

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as she effortlessly flips from heavy screams to airy angelic cleans. pray has the quintessential vana sound that has become infamous with her style and the track blends perfectly into her existing discography.

"Bow your fucking head, I need you to kiss the ground, Thorns on my head I think, I look better in a crown, I'll give you time to repent when you're dead, I'll bury you, Face down". In true Vana fashion the track pulls you in, like a siren song. Pray takes you from the cutesy beginning with her voice soft

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and flirtatious into something wrathful that will be forced onto you if you do not do what you are told and is expected of you. the music takes you on a journey of a gentle threat into an all out chaotic explosion, with the use of crushing guitars, domineering drums and artfully used synthesizers. Leading up to pray's release there were some cryptic clues

written in futhark runes within a teaser video, that sent the fan-base into a spin; as it was decoded to announce the release date of November 20th with the message of "hail Mara". I personally love the cryptic clues phase that is happening right now as it builds hype around the release and gets the fans interacting with each other building community. The music video falls in line with what I have come to expect from vana with bold imagery that sits perfectly on the line of standing in your own power without being too provocative for a younger audience. I cannot wait to see what comes next."I'll put you in the earth, Say your prayers in reverse, I'll scratch your name into the wood, That sits inside the hearse, Forgive me Mara, You're about to count the fucking worms, And in the ground I'll find out where you got the fucking nerve. Mmmmm, eat the dirt, Eat the fucking dirt".

You can find vana on: spotify, apple music, instagram, youtube and tiktok

For fans of: bring me the horizon, Emilie autumn, Paramore and magnolia park

10/10