A Refreshing Indie-Rock and Pop EP from Silvio Vega
A recent release from Silvio Vega puts forth this wonderfully lush kind of indie pop and rock atmosphere by way of utilizing mostly clean guitar work but bringing in slightly mathy approaches into some of the riffs, keeping things sort of fresh but robust, and delivering these very smooth style vocals that, at times are double tracked but others, are singularly tracked, both ways giving off a flow that feels completely natural and the whole thing builds an atmosphere that you fall into.
I think this is one of the most important aspects of the record as a whole. It's got its own atmosphere, and once you step into it, you really don't want to leave.
A lot of this has to do with those guitar tones and how everything feels new. The guitar strings sound like they were put on the day of recording; everything about this has a sort of crispness, but a warmth in its underbelly at the same time.
You can definitely tell there was a lot of attention paid to those guitar tones and how those are the aspects that really drive the record.
This release builds in elements of pop rock, grunge, alternative rock attributes, indie pop, and a little hint of dream, all rolled into one record, and I think that's part of why it has the kind of aesthetic that it does.
The release is an EP, and it's called ctrl+alt+del.
The first track, "u" doesn't waste much time giving you some of these amazing Staples.
What's great about a song like this is that it does give you some personality lyrically. Amazing changes and progressions that bring brightness to the song and its melodies, all coming along with this great little mathy riff that builds an additional flavor into everything.
The way the arrangement is done and how the whole thing is put together does indeed give me those feelings of classic grunge, even though it's clean and not heavy or distorted.
I also really adore how the drums were recorded. Everything is sort of flat, and it puts you in the moment with the song because of the tones of how everything comes together.
This is a great song to introduce the record with because you are indeed getting some of those staples that the rest of the record produces, but I do suggest listening to this entire EP from start to finish, all in one shot.
There are a few surprises around its corners, and there's a lot to soak in in terms of texture and tone.
The next track, "tar mouth" delivers some more of the same, but it has a little bit more of a bopping rhythm to it, and there are two different guitar parts that sort of bounce off of each other at times, which I really liked.
You also start hearing a little bit more effects on the guitars, like a slight chorus feel, making things sound a little bit wet and adding a bit of depth to everything.
This is a perfect example of a track that has some drive to it, while still remaining clean the entire time.
The drumming certainly opens up and starts getting a little heavier while the guitar remains clean, but you can hear this rise and energy throughout it.
"lonely" is the next track, and this one has a little bit of a slower feel and a more cinematic backbone to it.
This is one of the tracks where you can start hearing more of that vast and spacious undertone, and it starts branching off into different directions in terms of the songwriting and arrangements.
Now, as I mentioned a few times already, up until this point, the record is mostly clean in terms of the guitar tone. The closing track, "silence", changes the game up a little bit with a sort of fuzz tone distortion and this very slow swing style pace and rhythm. It makes me think of stuff off the second Weezer record.
I really like this a lot because it broke things up a little bit and gave you one of those surprises I mentioned earlier.
You can start feeling some of the personality shining through on this track, and can tell that some of these songs are more personal.
This is definitely an artist who puts himself into his music. There are pieces of the personality that come through in chunks as the record unfolds, and this is part of the addictive attribute of it all.
I like an album or EP that feels authentic, and this one is exactly that.
You're able to pick up on how a lot of this stuff came from some real place, and it adds to the heart of everything.
You can also tell this is a passion project through and through, and that element is very evident.
The record boasts a slew of influences, and I think that Silvio did an outstanding job of being able to put something together that has texture, color, character, and blends elements of different songwriting Styles into one record while still keeping things pretty consistent and confluent.
Definitely take a deep dive into this one when you get a chance to see you could hear exactly what I'm talking about.
