The long-awaited new song from VNV Nation, “Before the Rain,” is out now. It’s the first new music from VNV Nation in nearly five years.
We’re used to hearing club bangers like “Control” and “When Is the Future” when VNV Nation returns from a long hiatus, but “Before the Rain” challenges that precedent. It’s by no means a ballad, but its steady pulsing beat and unassuming vocals put it in the same range as electronic compositions like “Homeward” and “Collide.”
Lyrically, it’s contemplative, considering the origin of the cosmos and the possibility of a relationship. There are VNV touchpoints—the ever present light, flicking of switches, eternity—but it feels wholly original and an exquisite introduction to what promises to be a cohesive album about the sun, creation, and infinite possibility.
“Before the Rain” is the lead single from VNV Nation’s eleventh studio album, which is called Electric Sun. It’s coming out on April 14, 2023, and we should be hearing another single before its release. VNV will also play songs from Electric Sun during their European tour, which starts next week in Copenhagen.
Electric Sun is the follow-up to VNV Nation’s last album, Noire, which arrived in October 2018. It features the songs “When Is the Future” and “All Our Sins.”
You can find “Before the Rain” on Spotify.
“Before the Rain” lyrics
I’ve transcribed the lyrics as best as I can, but there may be a few mistakes. When the official lyrics are released, I’ll update them with any corrections.
Flash backward to the time
Your silhouette disguised
The glow of night’s reflection
Your outline locked in phase
Like a vivid liquid haze
Lit up the night electric
A moment staged for us
Until we turn to dust
Until time’s evaporated
But were we ever there?
Enraptured unaware
We were lovers only dreaming
We dared eternity and won
Long before the rain had come
We built a universe
We held the cosmos in our hands
Unstoppable force
The purest light
To set the firmament alight
We built a universe
So we could hold the cosmos in our hands
The switch turned to engage
The power rushed and raged
Lit up your face electric
Lightspeed in a dream
The static bursts the stream
The ultrasonic strains of music
Revived in youth again
With each step as we claim
Shattered mirrors in the rainfall
But were we ever there?
Enraptured unaware
We were lovers only dreaming
We dared eternity and won
Long before the rain had come
We built a universe
We held the cosmos in our hands
Unstoppable force
The purest light
To set the firmament alight
We built a universe
So we could hold the cosmos in our hands
