Album Review: VerseChorusVerse – 'What If We Won'

When VerseChorusVerse unveiled the ominously titled Outro in 2018, we feared it might’ve been the swansong of indomitable riff-wrangler Tony Wright. After a fistful of years spent touring, dabbling in the world of spoken word – and also showing off his comedy skills in the web series The Also-Rans – the ex-ASIWYFA man confirms that any such fears are unfounded with What If We Won.

Born of hard times, his fourth LP as VerseChorusVerse sees Tony try to right the wrongs of the world (‘Be Proud’), whilst also delivering his darkest and most daring collection of songs to date. Written during lockdown as the singer came to grips with the suicides of two friends, the genre-fluid What If We Won is a brave and beautiful opus. The Bad Seeds-esque ballad ‘I Live With A Monster’, and the bug eyed, pleasingly prickly ‘Rock &/Or Roll Recovery’ are stand-outs, while the title-track feels like a game-changer. Tipping a respectful cap to Bowie’s iconic Heroes, What If We Won is a jaw-dropping effort. Superb.

Listen below.