Somewhere between the euphoric pop of Kylie Minogue, the sparse minimalism of Young Marble Giants and the stark electronica of The xx, Victoria and Jacob's lush and ethereal Italo-disco sound draws upon classic pop tunes, drenched in hazy synths and entwined with Victoriaʼs sweet vocal cuts.
Victoria and Jacob are Victoria Harrison and Jacob Mayfield, who met in Cambridge whilst at University studying Creative Music and Sound Technology. They started out as a folk duo and then went from folk-tronica to a fully electronic lineup. After studying and teaming up at Uni to work on a variety of projects (such as interactive sound installations as well as sound for computer games and laptop composition) they decided to move to London to focus on the band. They soon had a Radar spot in the NME and landed themselves a single with Voga Parochia Records.
victoriaandjacob.comvictoriaandjacob.blogspot.co.uk
ReleasesFika023: Victoria and Jacob - Festival [7"/DL] Fika023RMX: Victoria and Jacob - Festival [Remixes] [DL] Fika025: Victoria and Jacob - Cry Baby [DL] Fika025RMX: Victoria and Jacob - Cry Baby [Remixes] [DL] Fika029: Victoria and Jacob - Victoria and Jacob [12" LP/CD/DL] Fika031: Victoria and Jacob - Theia Mania [DL] Fika031RMX: Victoria and Jacob - Theia Mania [Remixes] [DL]
"What is perhaps most remarkable for a debut album is its confidence, with a consistency throughout and the sense of a band that is influenced by the likes of Fleeetwood Mac, Everything But the Girl and Saint Etienne but prepared to wrap them up with their own distinct voice. One of the best debut albums of the year." Neon Filler [8/10]
"Poppier than The Knife, less outwardly weird than Animal Collective – the music of Victoria & Jacob has a real beating heart that pulsates around Victoria’s poetic musings to great effect." The Line Of Best Fit
"The synth-y pop of Grimes and Everything But The Girl combined with the nostalgia of Lana Del Rey makes up the basis of their sound, with Jacob on keys and Victoria’s quiet and soft vocals engulfing the listener in a cloud of ethereal, airy sound. Album highlights are found in ‘Festival’; a joyous dance-along track made for summer bonfires; ‘Desire’; a somewhat sultry and sorrowful tune on which Victoria delivers possibly her most beautiful vocal performance; and ‘Cry Baby’; a song full of synth hooks which get stuck in your head for pretty much the rest of the day." Tasty
"‘Emily’s Song’ is a lost summer’s morning spent skipping stones as delightful vocal layers, both languorous and yearning, float down a stream of burbling, sighing synth flutes and a blooping, dead dial tone sample. ‘Cry Baby’ also gets a big tick with its stabbing and twinkling ministrations rubbing up against ornamental strings and shuffling rhythms. ‘Festival’ similarly takes the blissful, candy floss electronica and welds it to a shabby, 8-bit beat to prop up a tightly written pop song, Fleetwood Mac via Saint Etienne." Drowned In Sound
"delicately shimmer and inhabit the bodies of Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn when Everything But The Girl beefed up their acoustics with a subtle dance beat" Scottish Express
"Harrison's vocals retain the same wearily non-commital vibe of The XX's Romy Madley-Croft and Everything But The Girl's Tracey Thorn, while elsewhere the electronic arrangements echo those of Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp's Will Gregory" Uncut
"Passing fluttering traces of everything from Fleetwood Mac to stripped Eurodisco and the dramatic doomsday drums that dominated this year's Way Out West. More can not be desired." Sydsvenksan [4/5]
"Cry Baby, the highlight on first listen, has that nagging hooky quality present in most great electopop of the last fifteen years. Believe the Boy has a strong chorus and intriguing instrumentation, while Emily’s Song is pretty and doesn’t impede, settling one’s heartbeat. Parts of There’s a War seem to mimic morse code messages, smartly, and brings a ten-track debut to an impressive close. The album is worth a listen, and then further listens, wherever you are, whatever the weather." Blastocyst
"vocals gently bubble and eventually float away through the chasm of electronic layers that surround it" Prefix Mag
"Songs on which they "do a Saint Etienne" and get that balance perfectly would include the single 'Theia Mania', the poppier, more upbeat 'Festival', 'I See You', and they touch on the Scandi-pop of Niki & The Dove and so on with 'Desire'." Sound Of Confusion
"The beatific ‘Festival’ is a warm, Italo disco stunner that, through Victoria’s airy vocal, slightly betrays the duo’s beginnings as a folk act" The Girls Are
"[Victoria and Jacob are] preened and polished almost to a major label (or, at least, a big indie) sheen and clearly heading for beyond-indie stardom. ‘Festival’ is shimmery, melodic, euphoric, Balearic electropop, of the sort usually cooked up in some expensive Swedish music factory" SoundsXP
"Atmospheric opening track 'Thea Mania' introduces that muted vibe, with Victoria’s lilting vocals weaving throughout....the dark and gritty 'Believe The Boy' with its subtle nod to dubstep and the strongly 80s feel of 'I See You'." Digital Fix
"‘Cry Baby’ is their latest single and demonstrates once more the shimmering subtle beauty that first drew us to them." The VPME
"Shimmery and austere, ‘Cry Baby’ is a sparkly, folky delight that again marks the duo out as one of 2013′s most promising new acts." The Girls Are
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