A fresh release from All Violet brings together some of our favorite elements of alternative and indie rock with hints of post-punk running through its veins. There is plenty of personality just dripping from each track, and this semi-theatrical approach, making things feel robust but also addictive.
The record is called Neon Sleeping from the Pavement, and introduces us to their soundscape with the first track, "Everything Is Medication".
This is an amazing track, especially to bring in fresh ears to the record, because it brings with it this massive, as I just mentioned, theatrical feel that reminds you of bands like Nick Cave in the Bad Seeds.
It's got that almost haunting or dark edginess to it with vocals that are riddled with a fuzz tone or amp simulation distortion giving them a grittier and more intense feel, amazing percussion that doesn't just drive the song but rather gives it the feeling of being alive and breathing, and layers of twangy guitars.
Right from this first track alone, you're caught up in their atmosphere, and it's pretty amazing.
Then there are tracks like "Kafka", which serves more as a cinematic type of validity that delivers tons of this honesty and inner thought that spills out everywhere, and it's amazing to sort of, take all of that in.
No matter what, there's always this element of experimental undertone and ness and a lot of the songs, and this is part of what gives them that cinematic feel as well.
Some songs are more whimsical in a way, while others are a bit more serious and emotionally driven.
I think it's cool to see these different sides of the songwriting, especially in the lyrical approach coming through as the album unfolds.
Now, it's not just the lyrics, but the music itself is almost ever changing but still shares some of the same staples that the rest of the record has.
Throughout the album, there are a few tracks that I would call interludes. These are more instrumental songs that deliver a bit of eeriness and haunt them, with performances on piano or guitar, giving this sense of connectivity between the songs themselves and the idea that this is a concept record of sorts.
The last track on the record is a song that hit me pretty hard, and maybe it's just because I went through the full album before I got there, and this song feels like an amazing closer to the record, but either way, the song had an impact on me.
This final track is called "Wander Off".
There's a sense of youthful wanderlust going on here, and it feels freeing with just a hint of the unknown in front of us, but with a sense of joy and excitement all at the same time.
This is a song that you might connect with quickly.
For me, it brought up certain kinds of memories from my youth, and I think for a lot of people, some of these songs would serve almost like the soundtracks to certain chapters in their own lives.
It's the way they dig in lyrically and how the emotions come through, and the performance of the vocals and the guitar work as well.
The experimental elements of the record make things feel almost dreamlike, but with that slight edge, still feeling a little unknown in its Sensibility.
What I've realized after listening to the record is that the sense of freedom, excitement, fear, a little haunt, a dreaminess, emotional drive, and everything else that comes with this record all come from our youth.
These are the things that we experience as we're growing, and the record connects with that sensation in such a weird but incredible way.
This was a beautifully performed album from start to finish, and it's a record that is built with fewer boundaries than what you may be used to, but still with a lot of welcoming, warm, and memorable songwriting that will wrap itself around you.
By the time you get to the end of this album, you will be swallowed up by it. I mean this in a good way, of course. It feels amazing to get swallowed up by this record, and I suggest you do it with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to soak all this in.
Check this out right now and listen to the entire record from start to finish because that is what it's meant for.
Yes, some singles stand on their own two feet like the ones I mentioned, but listening to the full album gives you the experience you are supposed to have.
Don't miss out on this one.