Black skies? Seductive vocals? Moody lighting? A romantic dinner with a sheep?! it can only mean one thing: Ville Valo is back.
The former HIM singer has dropped his brand new solo single Loveletting, under the name VV. The song itself is giving off some serious soft-focus 80s vibes – a soaring MOR-goth anthem with a billowing chorus and the kind of acoustic guitars that say I Am A Serious Artist.
But we need to talk about that video. It begins with a forlorn-looking Ville standing in a moody landscape, meaningfully wielding an umbrella, before we cut to a black sheep which our hero then proceeds to – there's no other way to put this – attempt to seduce.
There’s lots of gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, Ville leading his new friend back to his gothic-looking gaff and, yup, a romantic candlelit meal, complete with wine that looks suspiciously like it came from a blood bag in the background.
Luckily, that’s as far as it goes. The sight of Ville gazing glumly at a video of the sheep (no, not that kind of video) suggests the romance didn’t really have legs. Or maybe it had too many legs.
Loveletting is Ville’s first new music since 2020‘s low-key Gothica Fennica Vol 1 EP, also released under the VV name.
Thankfully, our man is going all-in this time around. His debut solo album, Neon Noir, will be released in early 2023.
“Artistically speaking, the main difference between HIM and VV is the extra line in the Heartagram, but what an exquisite line it is!” says Ville of his new project, presumably while reclining on a red velvet chaise longe and waving his hand in the air for dramatic effect. “It’s the Mamas and the Papas dressed up as Metallica on their way to a Halloween bash at the Studio 54, and now who wouldn't want to witness that?"
Not us, for sure. You’ll be able to see it for yourself when Ville hits the road in Europe and the US in January 2023. Here’s hoping he brings the sheep with him. Watch the video below.
Ville Valo 2023 tour
Jan 13: Helsinki Tavastia, France
Feb 14: Warsaw Proxima, Poland
Feb 15: Krakow Kwadrat, Poland
Feb 16: Prague Lucerna Music Bar, Czech Republic
Feb 17: Berlin Huxley's, Germany
Feb 18: Hamburg Fabrik, Germany
Feb 20: Amsterdam Paradiso, Netherlands
Feb 21: Frankfurt Batschkapp, Germany
Feb 22: Zurich Komplex, Switzerland
Feb 24: Barcelona Razzmatazz, Spain
Feb 25: Madrid La Riviera, Spain
Feb 26: Lisbon Cineteatro Capitolio, Portugal
Feb 27: Porto Hard Club, Portugal
Mar 02: Milan Alcatraz, Italy
Mar 03: Munich Backstage Werk, Germany
Mar 04: Budapest Barba Negra, Hungary
Mar 05: Vienna Arena, Austria
Mar 07: Esch-sur-Alzette Rockhal, Luxemburg
Mar 08: Cologne LMH, Germany
Mar 09: Paris Le Trabendo, France
Mar 10: Bristol O2 Academy, UK
Mar 11: Nottingham Rock City, UK
Mar 13: Glasgow Garage, UK
Mar 14: Manchester O2 Ritz, UK
Mar 15: London O2 Forum Kentish Town, UK
Apr 01: Philadelphia Theatre of the Living Arts, PA
Apr 02: Boston Big Night Live, MA
Apr 04: Pittsburgh Roxian Theater, PA
Apr 05: Cleveland House of Blues, OH
Apr 06: Detroit St. Andrews Hall, MI
Apr 08: Cincinnati Bogarts, OH
Apr 09: Chicago House of Blues, IL
Apr 11: Minneapolis Varsity Theater, MN
Apr 13: Denver Summit Music Hall, CO
Apr 14: Salt Lake City The Depot, UT
Apr 16: Sacramento Ace of Spades, CA
Apr 17: San Francisco The Fillmore, CA
Apr 18: Los Angeles Belasco, CA
Apr 21: Las Vegas House of Blues, NV
Apr 22: San Diego House of Blues, CA
Apr 23: Phoenix Van Buren, AZ
Apr 25: Dallas House of Blues, TX
Apr 26: San Antonio Aztec Theater, TX
Apr 27: Houston House of Blues, TX
Apr 28: New Orleans House of Blues, LA
Apr 30: Orlando House of Blues, FL
May 01: Ft. Lauderdale Revolution. FL
May 03: Atlanta Buckhead Theatre, GA
May 04: Nashville Brooklyn Bowl, TN
May 05: Charlotte Underground, NC
May 07: Silver Spring The Fillmore, MD
May 08: New York Irving Plaza, NY
