"V.A.N" (an acronym for "Violence Against Nature") is a song by American heavy metal band Bad Omens, sung by American singer Poppy, from the band's reissue album Concrete Jungle [The OST] (2024). It was released by Sumerian Records on January 25, 2024, as the lead single from the album.
The song premiered on SiriusXM's Octane radio station hours before its official release.
Background
In September 2023, Poppy announced that she would be supporting Bad Omens across Europe for their Concrete Forever Tour, ahead of her own Zig Tour in support of her fifth album, Zig (2023). In January 2024, Bad Omens deleted all of their Instagram posts and began posting video teasers that featured Poppy.
Composition "V.A.N" is a metalcore and industrial metal song that features lead vocals from Poppy only. The sci-fi-themed song includes inspiration from Bad Omens' comic book Concrete Jungle. It tells a story of an artificial intelligence entity that would destroy humanity.
Speaking about the song, Sebastian elaborated:
The vocal delivery of the verse was influenced by GLaDOS from the video game Portal.
Accolades +Awards and nominations for "V.A.N” Year Award ceremony Category Result 2024 Rock Sound Awards Song of the Year Nik Nocturnal Awards Collab Song of the Year
+Critics' year-end rankings of "V.A.N” Publication List Rank MetalHammer The 50 best metal songs of 202410
Music video The music video for "V.A.N" was released alongside the song, and was directed by Garrett Nicholson and Poppy. The visuals were inspired by the video game Portal, the film Ex Machina, and the TV show Stranger Things.
On March 29, 2024, an official live video was released, which features Poppy and Bad Omens performing the song in Europe.
Live performance Bad Omens and Poppy debuted the song live in Berlin on January 27, 2024.
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "V.A.N" Chart (2024) Peakposition France Digital Songs (SNEP) 71 UK Singles Downloads (OCC) 81 UK Singles Sales (OCC) 88 UK Rock & Metal (OCC) 25
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "V.A.N" Chart (2024) Position US Hot Hard Rock Songs (Billboard) 15US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) 42
Release history + "V.A.N" release history Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Various January 25, 2024 Sumerian July 19, 2024 12-inch vinyl July 22, 2024 12-inch picture disc
References