Vendetta Love have been gradually carving out a place within the rock underground since 2021. The Irish band have released a string of impressive digital singles over the course of four years – not least of all 2024’s ‘Soothe’, an energetic number absolutely loaded with wah-wah guitar work – and a pair of enjoyable EPs, but their first offering for ’25 could just be one of their strongest tracks to date.
Kicking off with a grungy riff, ‘Traced Out’ automatically feels like a very welcome throwback to the mid 90s, but as with a lot of the band’s previous tracks, there’s a huge, slightly old school rock melody offsetting the dirtier sounds. The interplay between a chopping guitar and busy drum part driving the second verse is impressive; Chris Craig’s massive sounding wah-wah driven guitar solo, even more so. In fact, the tight lead work goes a long way to giving this single its classic sound. For those who were previously drawn to the band’s 90s vibe, this really doesn’t disappoint: a pleasingly grubby vocal courtesy of Shawn Mullen conveys a Bush-like sound throughout, which really lends a nostalgic quality. This is one of those tracks that feels familiar from the outset, but never tired. If anything, it’s a three minute tour-de-force that showcases each band member very effectively, and by the time you’ve heard it a couple of times, it’ll certainly be set to earn a place on any discerning playlist.
‘Traced Out’ sees Vendetta Love attacking their art head first and with a genuine intent. Those in the know would’ve already been keeping a close ear on their progress, but this single cements any feelings of these guys being a band very much on the rise.
Check out ‘Traced Out’ below.
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