A swirling array of art-rock, psych-infused guitars, and climactic energy defines Neon Seeping from the Pavement, the debut mixtape from NYC-based outfit All Violet. Recorded largely in frontman Brian Tannenbaum’s Midtown apartment, the album channels the pulse of the city streets into its instrumentation, creating a vivid, immersive listening experience that balances introspective lyricism with adventurous sonic textures.
The immersive “Everything is Medication” opens the album in inviting form, arriving into the station with western-y guitar twangs and lyrical observations on the prevalence of substances. “Take your dose and go to bed,” the debonair vocals let out, lamenting a state of being “always sick, often sedated.” The track was initially inspired by a Josh Kline exhibit at The Whitney Museum of Art, also exploring consumption — of both pharmaceuticals and media — with artful intrigue.
The ensuing “Animals Domestic” also stirs, melding jangling guitar enthusiasm with a vocal pleading to “run and hide.” Shades of classic The Libertines show in the punchy rock aesthetic, while its Dostoyevsky literary inspiration also compels in depicting how man may fear finishing what he creates, from loving the act of building more than the completed work itself. Dazzling guitar work, soaring with psych-ready charisma, drives into a particularly enveloping final minute.
A steadily unveiling rock momentum takes hold on the fantastic “Clues,” venturing from shimmering acoustics and lyrical introspections — “what am I here for? I need to understand” — as twanging guitars and cohesive rhythms ease in alongside. “Painful always looking back at answers right under my nose,” the vocals captivate into flourishing layers of guitar; the thematic perspectives of self-discovery, and how certain realizations come too late and only after analysis, prove resonating. The track’s finale is lovely, as well — producing an effervescent guitar-forward harmoniousness that sounds like a cross of Ozma and Radiohead.
Developing from folk-set philosophizing into a vibrant expanse, “Kafka” is another success — reflecting on the persistence of connection and resilience amid existential uncertainty, where life “always finds a way” to push forward even in confusion or loss. “I’ll hide my face in you / You’ll hide your face in me / And no one will see us anymore,” the vocals ring out, emphasizing refuge in connection even amidst chaos and uncertainty. This contemplative gem then moves into one of the album’s hardest-rocking showcases in “esque,” invigorating in its anthemic vocal work and album-referencing final refrain.
Also excelling in its variety between dreamy caressing and ardent power, “Kintsugi” weaves twinkling guitars and percussive pit-pattering to start — as vocals admit that “life’s not a problem to be solved.” The song reflects on human fragility and the search for meaning, enthralling in a “we fall apart” refrain that captures the inevitability of human vulnerability and the emotional or existential breakdowns we all experience. It’s another movingly melodic standout on an album that’s full of them. From contemplative musings to guitar-driven climaxes, the mixtape consistently reveals All Violet’s inventive approach, crafting a debut that feels both immediate and enduringly compelling.
