We Speak Music
Von Venn’s “Be Free” Is a Call to Think for Yourself
Dublin’s Von Venn are back with “Be Free,” the third single from their forthcoming album “Forgetting the Fall,” and they’re not messing around. After “You Can Talk To Me” and “Only In The Night,” the band has delivered something that feels both urgent and necessary right now.
The song is about exactly what the title says. It’s about thinking for yourself, speaking up, and refusing to let anyone control your perspective. In a world where information gets spun, filtered, and packaged as truth every single day, that message lands hard.
“There’s so much manipulation out there now,” the band explains. “Information gets filtered, twisted, presented as truth when it’s anything but. We wrote this as a reminder to question everything and form your own opinions. Don’t be anyone’s fool. Don’t play to someone else’s agenda.”
Heavy stuff, right? But here’s the thing: “Be Free” doesn’t feel preachy or heavy handed. It’s actually a feel good track that’ll get stuck in your head for days. There’s a nostalgic rock vibe running through it that feels familiar, like revisiting the bands you loved growing up, but with enough modern energy to keep it from feeling like a throwback exercise.
Vocalist Gary Cox really delivers here. His performance has that quality where you hear it once and it stays with you. And that chorus? Good luck getting it out of your head.
The lyrics don’t dance around anything. “Somebody’s watching you, got to keep watching you, checking what you’ve got to say, got to be sure that everybody’s thinking is right.” Then the chorus hits and suddenly you’re moving: “We should be free, say what we want, put it out to hear, tell anyone.”
There’s definitely frustration in this song, maybe even some anger bubbling underneath. But there’s also hope, which is what keeps it from feeling like just another complaint about the state of things. Von Venn aren’t just pointing out problems. They’re reminding you that your voice still matters and you should use it. And they manage to do all of that while making you want to crank the volume.
We Speak Music
Mané’s ‘The Goddess in the Room’ Turns Self-Discovery Into Sonic World-Building
There is a remarkable sense of intention running through The Goddess in the Room, the latest project from Swiss artist Mané. Blending alternative electronic pop with ritualistic percussion and spiritual symbolism, the album presents itself as both a personal statement and a carefully constructed narrative. Across its nine tracks, Mané explores identity, healing, queerness, and empowerment with impressive clarity of vision.
The opening track, “The GODDESS in the Room,” functions as both invitation and thesis statement. It introduces listeners to a world where intuition and self-trust become guiding principles, while establishing the atmospheric production style that shapes much of the record. The song’s spacious arrangement creates room for reflection, a quality that becomes one of the album’s defining characteristics.
That introspection deepens on “perles de sang” and “sappho.” The former grapples with inherited pain and bodily experience, while the latter offers a moving celebration of queer identity. Throughout these songs, Mané avoids reducing complex themes to slogans, instead allowing emotional nuance to emerge through carefully crafted songwriting and evocative imagery.
Musically, the album reaches some of its most intriguing moments on “)O(” and “moonstones.” Both tracks highlight Mané’s growing confidence as a sonic architect, blending electronic textures with organic rhythmic elements inspired by shamanic practice. The resulting sound feels immersive and transportive without losing its emotional immediacy.
Meanwhile, “j’serai tjr là” and “chocolate con sangre” provide some of the record’s most vulnerable moments. Here, Mané strips back some of the conceptual grandeur to focus on connection, memory, and emotional endurance. These songs reveal an artist equally capable of intimate storytelling and ambitious world-building.
The penultimate track, “Witches,” injects a surge of collective energy into the album’s narrative. Drawing on themes of resistance and feminine power, it stands as one of the project’s most direct statements while retaining its atmospheric sophistication. It is both politically resonant and emotionally charged.
By the time “ALIGNED” closes the record, the journey feels complete. Not because all questions have been answered, but because the search itself has become meaningful. The Goddess in the Room succeeds through its commitment to authenticity and vision, establishing Mané as an artist unafraid to follow her own path, wherever it may lead.
TOUR DATES
- JUNE 3rd – Les Docks, Lausanne (CH)
- JUNE 5th – The Waiting Room, London (UK)
- JUNE 27th – Basel Pride, Basel (CH)
- JULY 25th – Garden Parties, Lausanne (CH)
- AUGUST 6th – Zurich Music Week, Zurich (CH)
- AUGUST 15th – Château Festival, Bourgogne (FR)
- AUGUST 29th – Festival Rikiki, Neuchâtel (CH)
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Website | PR: Decent Music PR
-
We Speak Indie Artist1 week agoLong Island’s Next Big Thing: The Chads Are Ready to Unleash
-
We Speak Music6 days agoVÆB arrive with ‘Gimme More’
-
We Speak Music5 days ago
UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean culture Africa Oyé Festival returns for 2026.
-
We Speak Music4 days agoInside MIIA’s Dark, Cinematic New Era
