Spanish artist V.E.N! is the name of a music band run by the outstanding Edu Campoy. This musical project brilliantly merges the pulsing rhythm of melodic power-pop with complex elements of progressive rock. Taking inspiration from such diverse genres as 60s pop music, Britpop, post-punk, and alternative rock, Campoy manages to create an extraordinary mixture of something nostalgic and something very new. His lyrics are rooted in a very personal universe, where everything is intimate and often spiritual but at the same time highly critical of our social reality. And the vibrant collages and vividly colored style of pop art which serve as visual decorations for his repertoire reflect this music perfectly: strikingly bright and beautiful at the first sight, but with a lot of layers of inner world inside.
On October 9, 2026, he presented us with one incredible album—an excellent six-track EP called Waking Up In The Night. Let me introduce you to this album in detail.
It’s clear from the very first moment, from the very first needle drop, that “Connection” is one of those pieces of music that will anchor the entire listening experience in brilliant emotional precision, becoming a true example of what songwriting is all about. For what it does in the most straightforward way possible is walking the thin line of human loneliness, exploring the peculiar state of disconnection with the surroundings, the sense of isolation and distance when everything around you becomes blurry like static. The magic of this track, however, lies in the way it uses loneliness not as a tragic element but rather as a source of comfort. It becomes clear that once the outer world seems too difficult to reach, silence will be a sacred connection. And in the end, it becomes a true meditation on rediscovering connections with oneself, with another person, and with new territories of one’s soul. Vocal delivery in this song from Campoy is personal and conversational, making you feel like you are talking directly to him via bedside mic before reaching the harmonized chorus of the song which gives you the feeling of switching a light in a dark room. As far as the music goes, this song is a pure tour de force, bringing together the immediate nature of the heart-string pulling melodies of pop-power with the explosive guitar energy and the anthemic chorus that simply cannot be stopped. But, the real magic of this song is in the way it opens up spaces for breath and allows it to move from being intense and energetic to being intimate, reflective, and allowing you time to let the emotion sink into your chest. It perfectly captures the dichotomies present in the album, bringing together sharp pop melodies racing alongside guitar tones, all within the well-thought-out arrangements with plenty of space to be emotionally vulnerable. There is something organic and melancholic about the soul of this song, enhanced by the dynamics and atmosphere of progressive rock.
From that initial shock of realization comes “Break The Compass,” which starts out with a soft electric guitar melody. The theme delves into the freeing but frightening process of getting lost, of realizing that all of the societal maps, expectations, and predetermined life plans you have been using have no application whatsoever in the dark. The vocals from Campoy have an assertive, raspy tone that pushes him up to the very edge of his vocal range with an emotional, screaming rasp that recalls a man yelling into the face of a howling wind. Musically, the band leans heavily towards grungy alternative rock sound, with the guitar playing highly distorted and jangly while the bass rumbles along at a steady pace like a pair of stomping feet on the pavement.
Shifting to a darker tone, “The Sacred Animal” begins with a slow, creepy Siren melody feedback sound and an ominous, methodical bass line that steadily establishes a sinister, predatory beat before the drums lock into place with tribal precision. The lyrical content deals with the basic drives that run through us, the savage, animalistic facets of our nature that we desperately attempt to imprison within our constructed social behaviors until they break free in our solitude and darkness. We meet a character who tells us how no one really knows him because of the facade he puts on. Campoy sings the lyrics with a smooth, low, and slightly eerie rhythm, singing in softly whispered verses before exploding in multiple-tracked vocals in the choruses. The music is brilliantly textured, with trembling guitars layered on top of a powerful, cavernous drum track to give the feel of hunting something wild and savage through an old forest late at night.
The movement moves outwards and upwards with “Crossing The Last Valley”, whose beginning consists of a soft shimmering guitar picking and is followed by reverberating guitar melody that outlines an immense horizon. In terms of lyrics, the song describes the last part of the difficult emotional expedition, a tough phase of dealing with one’s own baggage and past traumas, but at the same time the moment of understanding that the toughest period of healing process is coming to its end. The voice of Campoy in this song sounds exceptionally soft and seasoned with a certain amount of Americana-infused fragility that reflects an enormous experience gained during the journey and a lot of wisdom acquired during it without even the slightest hint of cynicism. As far as the music is concerned, it combines accessible indie-rock elements with organic sound. The song uses organic percussion and shimmering guitar lines. In terms of perception, the song is cathartic and makes one feel like standing on the ridge of a mountain and laying off a heavy backpack carried throughout years.
Almost immediately after the dust clears, the song “Evolution” opens with a high-energy, punk-influenced drum introduction and an intensely fast and furious buzzsaw guitar riff that does not hesitate to get right to the point. The central theme of the song is a sense of swift and unstoppable transformation – a chaotic, frantic, and conflict-ridden process of leaving behind one identity because you just simply have outgrown your skin. Musically speaking, Campoy sings with breathlessness and urgency; his vocals are charged with kinetic energy, thus expressing panic and excitement of a spontaneous revolution in oneself. The sound is minimalistic and very captivating; it is characterized by precision of percussion and compression of the guitars, which keeps the tempo insanely high throughout the whole song.
Marking the glorious end to the nocturnal journey in “The Home Of The New Man” the song starts with a soothing, ambient flow of a piano melody and a lonely, mournful guitar arpeggio that sounds like the dawn of light finally entering your bedroom through the windows. This is the place where the lyrics of the whole album present their main idea of reaching the reconstructed self, the person who was able to emerge from the darkness of the night a wiser and more harmonious human being to confront the daylight. Campoy’s vocals give a master-class in moderation and emotional maturity. Starting from a delicate, low-pitched whisper, it develops into a grand, choral melody sounding really uplifting. The instrumental part creates a beautiful connection between the melancholy and hope. It uses the dreamy alternative landscapes and a triumphant rhythmic pattern. The result will leave you with a lingering feeling of deep restoration and transformation of a restless night into a holy awakening experience.
Upon the release of his EP comprising six tracks, titled “Waking Up In The Night,” which was released on October 9, 2026, V.E.N! has come up with yet another incredible piece of work that has to be considered one of the best in the singer’s repertoire. “Connection” serves as the focal point in the album, bringing out the dual soul of the album in a perfect harmony of immediate melodic nature and deep introspective artistry. The reason why Waking Up In The Night is such a truly amazing accomplishment is because the album maintains consistent quality all throughout the duration of the entire work. There are no filler songs within the album; the six songs included are each able to stand on their own two feet and are unique in their own rights, in terms of telling a story and making their own impact on the listener. This is definitely one of those projects that really leave their mark and one that is worthy of celebration and re-listening. Huge kudos to the artist!
Stream the “Waking Up In The Night” EP on Spotify
Follow V.E.N! here and their socials: X, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, YouTube
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