London trio Value Void are an offbeat proposition. A sui generis bolt from nowhere, their debut album Sentimental is a collection of luxuriantly deep, shag pile-warm, analogue proto-punk. Paz Maddio and Marta Zabala grew up with each other in Azul, a small town south of Buenos Aires, where the seeds of this project were sown. Marta first came to London on tour with the super-slanted art punks Los Cripis, where she met Luke Tristram (of Cop, Score and Owner) who released their record via his Unwork label. Paz followed to join them. By early 2017 the three of them were holed up in practice rooms, Luke adding Evens-esque basslines that laid concrete to their minimalist guitar-lead pop songs. Songs such as "Teen For Him," a self-effacing lark importing strains of Leslie Gore and the Velvets; the minimal, Guided by Voices-reminiscent chug of "Bariloche" and "Cupids Bow," an up tempo, Breeders-esque standout. "Mind", a down tempo lullaby/lament in which the band track into the territory of early St. Vincent, Grouper or Julianna Barwick, is supported by a raw dirge that blossoms in feedback, and "The Deluge," which is also reflective but structured by a roaming curiosity and a big chorus seeking road movie oblivion. The album is instantly affecting, with an ease and clarity that suits the elegance of the lyrics: coded love songs and cool reflections on life which are all the more vulnerable and touching sung in Paz Maddio's lilting, ultrachromatic voice - a ceramic-sharp diagonal transatlantic on a pure open tone, with subtle waves of vibrato at its top end.
