Ville Valo: the rock’n’roll Barry White returns with a luscious love-metal soundtrack

Him from HIM returns with his first album by him himself

VV - Neon Noir packshot
(Image: © Heartagram)

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May the lovelorn and plain old horny of the alternative world rejoice, for the rock’n’roll Barry White has returned with a luscious new love-metal soundtrack for your seductive pleasure. Wash your hands, you filthy animals.

He may be flying solo these days, but there was no way Ville Valo was going to betray the tried and tested HIM formula. Neon Love is a sumptuous chocolate box of synth-drenched, poetic, gothic pop-rock that is often obscenely catchy – Run Away From The Sun has a billowy 80s blockbuster-soundtrack vibe to... well, take your breath away – while a lingering sadness offers a sense of mascara-streaked drama. 

Heartful Of Ghosts is particularly atmospheric, sliding into wailing guitar licks that howl like Cathy at the window on the desolate moors, while Saturnine Saturnalia ups the ante further with a pounding outro.

As we hunker down in the long, cold, dark winter nights, Neon Love is a brazenly glam collection to light the way towards spring.

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.