Vaults

Originating in Hertfordshire and London, the enigmatic trio Vaults fuses delicate string textures with throbbing rhythms in a trip-hop vein and richly pictorial lyrics, calling their sound “introspective electronica.” The lineup pairs vocalist and lyricist Blythe with producer Ben and instrumentalist Barney. Their steady climb toward wider recognition started when they posted “Cry No More” on SoundCloud and watched it collect 100,000 plays inside a single week. Several outlets branded them “the viral act that you know nothing about,” yet the group has shared only fragments of its history, preferring to cultivate mystery and let the music stand as its sole representative.

Vaults grew from the scattered remains of earlier projects that Ben and Barney had begun. The pair encountered Blythe through a mutual contact, asked her to sing on “Vultures,” and the three then spent the following year writing and recording together. After “Cry No More” broke through, they released “Premonitions,” “Lifespan,” and “Vultures,” the last of which anchored their self-titled debut EP in 2014. The same year brought a placement on the official soundtrack for the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey and opening slots for Paolo Nutini as well as the electropop trio London Grammar, whose atmospheric approach drew frequent comparisons.

Reviewers have singled out the cathartic weight of the lyrics, Blythe’s commanding and hypnotic voice, the sleek engineering, the eerie yet inviting synthesized bass lines, and the warm, enveloping strings. The band’s singular visual style and magnetic, otherworldly live shows have likewise been noted. In 2016 Vaults joined Gorgon City on the single “All Four Walls” while finishing work on their first album, which was previewed by the track “Midnight River.”