From Indian Lakes – “Everything Feels Better Now” [Album Review]

From Indian Lakes’ newest release, Everything Feels Better Now, is a trance-inducing, solid indie-rock release from songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Joey Vannucchi.

From the start, the listener finds themselves lost in Vannucchi’s smooth vocals and dreamlike guitar melodies. It’s hard not to bob your head along as you get further and further into the album – it’s catchy, no doubt; the kind of album you could picture blaring with the windows down on a cross-country trip through the mountains. But perhaps the most notable aspect of the album is its production – Everything Feels Better Now was recorded using vintage analog equipment. Subsequently, the majority of the instruments used on the album are also vintage (guitars, synth, etc) and there is little-to-no editing on the vocals and instrumentation.

Upon first listen, I noted that the album’s flow was remarkably seamless – each song seemed to almost melt into the next, blurring where one ended and the next began. The second time around, I was able to focus more on lyrics, although it was still sometimes difficult to concentrate on what actually was being said in certain swells in the songs due to the synth seemingly overtaking Vannucchi’s vocals. My attention oscillated between Vannuchi’s voice and the entrancing synth woven throughout, often reminiscent of 80’s synth ballads meeting a melancholy, acoustic/rainy-day feel.

All in all, it’s a solid release, and particularly impressive given that it is written and performed entirely by Vannucchi in such minimalist fashion. Give it a spin, it’s definitely worth the listen – especially if you’ve looking for some late-night driving tunes.

Everything Feels Much Better Now Track Listing:

01. The Monster
02. Blank Tapes
03. Bare It
04. Hello
05. Feel Love
06. American Dreams
07. Nome
08. Sunlight
09. Come Back
10. Lose Myself
11. Rid Of It

Run Time: 48:06
Release Date: October 14, 2016

Check out the track “Blank Tapes”