VHS or Beta 'Bring On' the Pop

The last thing any band who's amounted a wealth of buzz wants to do is take a marked hiatus. Louisville, Kentucky's VHS or Beta not excluded. However, the band -- who landed firmly on several 2004 year-end Top Ten lists and garnered airplay on the then hit TV show 'The OC' following the release of their 'Night on Fire' -- didn't have a choice but to take three years off after losing guitarist Zeke Buck between 'Fire' and their latest, 'Bring on the Comets.'

"Regrouping after losing a member and figuring out the most honest way to go about identifying what VHS or Beta is for this next record took some time, and I don't think we could've taken any less time as far as the process goes," vocalist Craig Pfunder tells Spinner. "There was a lot of shifting in the roles of who was doing what. [But] the guys are great and they let me kind of step in and try to come up with a bunch of songs that everyone felt comfortable identifying with."

The result is a joyous collection that again showcases the band's penchant for infectious and high-energy dance beats, but this time with a distinct pop sensibility. That's right -- pop. Pfunder remembers when it wasn't a dirty word in good music. "When I was growing up, on MTV, you could see and hear great music that was getting popular," he recalls. "I just wanted to write a record that wasn't afraid of being pop -- of taking chances like having almost every chorus you could sing along to in one way or another. That's what I grew up on -- bands like the Pixies or R.E.M. that had undeniable hooks."