The Veronicas comeback single, In My Blood, is a welcome change of pace. Back after a three-year hiatus, Aussie twins Lisa and Jessica Origliasso have moved away from their trademark catchy pop-rock sounds to embrace a more sophisticated dance and electro vibe.
Recalling late-2000s Kylie Minogue and Sophie Ellis Bextor, In My Blood is as luscious as it is intelligent. The production is subtle yet dense; there are dreamy waves of synths, jutting guitars and even bongos thrown into the mix.
On top of it all are the vocals from the 32-year-old sisters, who dial down the histrionics and adapt a style more detached and alluring.
Speaking ahead of their debut UAE performance on Thursday, the opening day of RedfestDXB, Lisa (who is the slightly younger of the two) describes the song as a rebirth for the group.
“It is also a good indication of where we want to take this new record,” she says.
“We want it to have more of an electropop kind of feel, and it is more about that dance vibe. But of course, when it comes to lyrics and melody, we stuck to the raw emotive kind of thing that we do.”
With their as-yet untitled fourth album due to be released in June, the sisters are deep into the recording process.
While Lisa is happy to be back in the studio, she is sceptical about the ultimate effectiveness of releasing an album in a music market increasingly tailored towards singles and downloads.
“Getting more music out to people is the way to go,” she says.
“This might be the last full-length album The Veronicas may do. But we will still release music. It is just that the demand for albums is a dying kind of thing. We hope to release an album, but it’s not for our sake – it’s more a thing to do.”
This is a telling and weary observation about the music industry in general and the band’s experience in particular. A key stumbling block in their career was a fractious relationship with former record label Warner Brothers, which ultimately meant they released virtually no music for seven years.
After returning with a solid, self-titled album in 2014, under new label Sony Music, the group found their footing again.
While happy to regain “artistic control” of their work, Lisa says she is more proud that The Veronicas is simply still standing.
“We did have some close calls about whether we wanted to end the band,” she says. “For the lack of a better word, you can get really screwed over in this industry. We had to learn the hard way in a bunch of cases – but it made us really strong and savvy business women.”
After generating a lot of industry buzz in 2001 with a series of catchy EP’s, not to mention their marketable grungy looks (Avril Lavigne was topping the charts at the time), The Veronicas quickly landed a record deal.
With the instant success of their 2005 debut, The Secret Life Of…, the group became one of Australia's leading pop outfits.
They have appeared as guest judges in The Voice Australia and are rumoured to be potential candidates to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine in May.
While nothing is official yet, Lisa says the duo are “absolutely open to going out there, rocking out and showing them what we do”.
More than the success, however, she credits the group’s artistic and fraternal bond for keeping them going. “Back when we first started, we were young and so naive,” Lisa says.
“We have experienced the peak of success, to the depression to not being able to have our music released.
“What me and Jess bonded over the most, and what made us grow and kept us somewhat sane, is still the music. It all comes from there.”
• The Veronicas will perform at 6.30pm on Thursday, the opening night of RedFestDXB, at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Ticket prices start at Dh395 from www.ticketmasteruae.ae and Virgin Megastores
sasaeed@thenational.ae
