Debut records are a great chance to prove you are not, as the title would imply, So Vanilla. Viji is far from it. An exceptional experience which manages to move away from plain material and state the case for their firm blend of indie-rock entertainment. Waste no time. Viji just dives in. No sense of opening, just taking a plunge into solid, dreamy indie material. Anything is the right way to go. So Vanilla brings out the best in the heady expectations of a debut album, with delirious notions right at the core of these songs. Viji channels those twists and turns with plenty of exceptional guitar work. It fits the genre yet works against the standards of indie rock. Viji is not long for the genre, her style and musical scope feels ready to burst from the genre already.
Forget me nots and delirium come through on this opening track – where Viji sets a high bar for herself and the rest of the genre. Her tone and style, the sliding electrics of Down feel ever-so-slightly influenced by garage rock and grunge. Fuzzy bits and pieces paired with those sudden jitters of heavy, heavy guitar work are an exceptional blend, something which feels as though it should be done to death, though Viji makes it difficult to bring about any specific examples. So Vanilla is a confident first record, so clear it is in its misery-laden tone. Contrast between those moody lyrics and floaty instrumentals is a wonderful intention, a big gamble squared up and confidently approached by Viji and produced by Dan Carey.
Droning noises underscoring Sedative gives the album a real high – its slowly rising instrumentals are kept under the surface by a consistent pace Viji pushes through with her lyrical style, and it all comes together perfectly. “Counterculture is my baby,” strikes through on Karaoke, a real understanding of cadence not found elsewhere in indie rock records of this year. Viji has plenty of scope for where a beat should start and end, how it should benefit their writing, and how it should be delivered. These seem like simple essentials any artist should aim for, but the balance is the best part – something So Vanilla has plenty of. There is enough variety on So Vanilla to take a few slices here or there and leave the rest behind – and though all these tracks are worth a go, the real quality comes in the first half.
Mellow indie-rock beats filter through on the likes of 1850 and Sharks. A considered lyrical quality remains – Viji has this nailed down and their first record benefits tremendously from their metaphors, descriptors and flourishes for the lyrical side of life. Plenty of changes, chances and bold moves made on So Vanilla, which is anything but what its title suggests. White Lighter is a late-stage terror of a track, incredibly soft-spoken pieces under a slightly fuzzy mix. Closer Ambien does too, those hypnotic whirrs which push through slowly underneath are the very core of a piece like So Vanilla. Beyond exceptional writing is paired with an orchestra worth of instrumentals, splitting up guitars, piano strokes and steady direction toward a whole host of promising ideas.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
