TNL VZN continue to refine their distinctive blend of grunge, shoegaze and alternative rock on Chameleon, a new single that sees the Birmingham quintet further define their sound. Made up of Eva May Beard, Robert Rhodes, Lewis John Norton, Alex Ionita and Lewis Moore, the band draw on the intensity of 2000s post-hardcore and nu metal while pushing it in a more atmospheric and contemporary direction.
The song moves between quieter passages and surges of guitar that build gradually rather than arrive without warning. Eva May’s voice acts as the thread holding everything together, at times blending into the instrumentation and at others rising above it, sounding both ethereal and assured. That contrast between fragility and weight recalls the more immersive side of Deftones and the melodic tension of Flyleaf, influences that TNL VZN are beginning to bring into their own musical language.
The lyrics portray someone who changes their personality and appearance in order to gain the upper hand over others. Here, the chameleon does not represent adaptability, but the lack of a stable identity in someone who imitates, conceals their true self and ultimately ends up lost behind their own masks.
Directed by Murry Deaves, the music video translates that instability into night-vision imagery in which faces are barely distinguishable. With an aesthetic that sits somewhere between found footage and surveillance imagery, it turns metamorphosis into something unsettling and leaves us wondering who is watching whom.
With “Chameleon”, TNL VZN place themselves among a new generation of British bands revisiting the alternative rock of the late ’90s and early 2000s from a fresh perspective. Their influences remain recognisable, but tracks like this show a band becoming increasingly capable of building a world of their own. We will be keeping an eye on what they do next.
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