I can still remember the day I first heard the song “Untouched.” I was in the car with my daughter, she was four at the time, and this song came on the radio. I had stopped at a gas station, but remained in the car just to hear this song. This was pre-smart phone pre-Sound Hound for me, and I remember thinking…who is this? The song was dark and sultry electro-rock, and it blew me away. I would spend a lot of time listening to the radio until I finally discovered the band was Australian twins Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, better known as The Veronicas.
“Untouched,” to me, remains one of the all time great songs. I mean, who else could make the lyrics, “You-ou-ou, ah-ah, la-la-la-la-, la-la-la-la,” sound so damn sexy? At the time, I was certain The Veronicas were poised to take America by storm, but then…as quickly as they came, they disappeared from American radio. Luckily, I have never been one to rely on the radio to discover new music. YouTube and iTunes are my main sources to find great bands. I have used both to follow the career of The Veronicas. There hasn’t been a lot to talk about until now.
“Untouched,” as I eventually discovered, was off of the twins’ second album “Hook Me Up.” The CD in itself is great. The song, “Revenge is Sweeter (then you ever were)” further solidified my belief that The Veronicas were no one hit wonders. They had talent, but just didn’t get the play in America they deserved. As a full body of work, I love The Veronicas, and I have been tracking them for a long time. Now, backed by the power of the Sony record label, they are back, and as good as ever.
The first single off of the twins’ upcoming self-titled third album took me by surprise. I was expecting something upbeat. Instead, The Veronicas released “You Ruin Me.” The song is a depressing ballad, and simply amazing. It debuted at #1 on the Australian charts last week, and remained on top for the second week in a row. It is much deserved. The only thing I am truly disappointed about is I learned the song “Cross My Heart,” will not be released on the upcoming CD. I posted the video last October (2013) if you feel like scrolling back. This song is one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard, but unfortunately, you can not buy it. Believe me, I’ve tried. I guess as long as I have YouTube I can still listen to it.
So here we go….2008 Veronicas and 2014 Veronicas. Listen, enjoy, love. I only hope the US has enough sense to play “You Ruin Me” on the airwaves. If not, once again we will miss out on some great music.
Michael Jack 