Seville-based songwriter Edu Campoy, the creative force behind V.E.N! (Virtual Emotions Network), takes listeners on an inward journey with Waking Up in the Night, a six-track EP that explores the mysteries of the human mind and the things we often keep hidden from ourselves. Moving between melodic alternative rock and power-pop, the record brings together vivid electric guitars, progressive flourishes and a strong melodic sensibility that balances energetic passages with moments of introspection. Its central idea is that the night isn’t something to run away from, but a strange and sometimes unsettling place we must learn to explore if we’re ever going to understand ourselves.
Opening track “Connection” sets that journey in motion with fuzzy, shimmery guitars riding over rustling, rumbling beats. There’s a lovely melodic immediacy to the arrangement, but beneath its power-pop appeal lies a more desolate emotional core. Campoy sings with sincere melancholy, his voice carrying a sense of sadness and hopelessness as he admits he doesn’t know what to do and finds himself listening to the silence. The song has vivid guitar work with loneliness at the heart of its lyrics.
“Crossing The Last Valley” takes a more contemplative route, with a warm, echoing melody seeming to drift overhead while melodic guitar chimes gently below. The arrangement has an expansive, almost windswept quality, giving the song plenty of room to breathe. Campoy’s husky voice moves slowly and weightily through it, delivering its reflections with a thoughtful restraint that draws you into its atmosphere.
The remaining tracks, “Break The Compass,” “The Scared Animal,” “Evolution” and “The Home Of The New Man,” continue the EP’s exploration of vulnerability, losing one’s direction, transformation and the possibility of a fresh beginning. V.E.N! leaves these ideas open to interpretation, as it blends personal reflection, philosophical questions and social observations. With its shifting vocal intensity, expressive guitars, and thoughtful contrasts, Waking Up in the Night makes for an engaging journey into the unknown corners of the self.
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Review by: Naomi Joan