Virals

Virals

Strange Fruit

Zoo Music

After two widely acclaimed EPs on Sexbeat and Tough Love Records, Shaun Hencher’s Virals pick up where those releases left off. Recorded last summer with Hencher and his live guitarist, Strange Fruit channels old-fashioned Tom Petty / Badfinger-esque muscle-rock coupled with the power of classic ’90s bands like Sugar. Kicking off with title track’s wide-eyed optimism, Strange Fruit hits high gear from the first chorus and stays there, chocked to the brim with soaring melodies, loud guitars and sugar-sweet vocals. Lead single “Summer Girls” is a lush, summer-defining Shop Assistants-style jam with the volume up. Hencher, former vocalist for Lovvers, began Virals as a solo studio project back in 2011. After assembling a live band, he spent the majority of 2012 playing shows at home in the UK and throughout Europe. The group is currently about to embark on a tour with Birmingham, England, band Peace.   “There’s a sun-kissed, slothful energy to Virals’ music: it sounds simultaneously indolent and tunefully intense.” —The Guardian