The consuming debut album from Los Angeles artist vja, Compartments stirs with a a transportive blend of dream-pop haziness and fervent rock enamoring. Mixed and mastered by William Carroll, the record journeys through cosmic release and introspective mourning. From the shimmering, celestial textures of “Stars” to the rainy-day spoken-word ambience of “Escape,” vja navigates modern noise with a melodic, neo-psychedelic vulnerability.
Opening track “Stars” unfolds aptly with twinkling guitar tones, exuding a fittingly starry-eyed demeanor before a steady array of guitar jangling and bouncy bass emerge. “Stars they are,” a resonating vocal soaring then lets out, achieving a crisply melodic sound reminding fondly of The Go-Betweens. Free-flowing “oh”-ing vocal maneuvers then align with tender guitar work for a soothingly hypnotic allure; the track commences the album with blissfully melodic charm. The ensuing “Lightning Blue” continues the excellent initial momentum, here showing a touch of post-punk within its dreamy guitar swirls and carpe-diem thematic pull.
Another album standout, “Ghost in the Sea” emits vulnerable relatability and mourning amidst a late-night, jangly guitar-led production. “I don’t even have a clue, living in a world without you,” the vocals admit heartrendingly, venturing into delightful guitar work with shades of Tom Verlaine in its twangy, illuminated disposition. Album finale “Escape” is also amongst its many highlights, here embracing a chilled-out array of subdued keys and rhythmic pitter-pattering. Spoken-word descriptions further that rainy-day feeling, as does the bird-chirping ambience. From atmospheric gems like this finale to more jangly rock successes like “Stars,” Compartments is a consistently stellar album from vja.
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“Stars” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
