Album Premiere: Calicoco—’Float’
Posted: by The Editor
There are parts of Calicoco‘s debut album, Float, that do indeed hover. A handful of tracks where songwriter Giana Caliolo’s sturdy vocal sustains are accompanied only by sparse strums and moody reverb effects. Those ones are, as the record’s title suggests, quite drifty. The type of songs that make you want to lay down and close your eyes, but remain wide awake, immersed in her wispy world.
But Float is a record in which Caliolo, a multi-instrumentalist who’s played in other Rochester, NY bands like Secret Pizza and Pony Hand, continues to exceed new listener’s expectations until its final track. She’s a strikingly versatile songwriter who delivers powerful change-ups whenever you think she’s settled into a particular sound or style. Within the context of the record, bluesy opener “What If” is the first of many that soar rather than float. Caliolo is a belter, and although her range reaches all the way down to a whisper on the Florist-esque “Rob’s Song,” she hits her sweet spot in the massive refrains of “Until The Last Time,” “Night Owl,” and second-most standout”Who Knows.”
Hop Along, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker are ambitious references to earn on a debut full-length, but Calicoco is legitimately within reach of that tier. “Anchor Park,” tucked deep into the album’s exceptional final third,” is the stunner. Beginning as what feels like another flickering ballad, the song’s tense percussion and apprehensive guitar strokes build steadily until it reaches this entrancing, chant-like climax. Here, Caliolo’s vocals burst, but it never sounds like she’s losing control. She carries herself like a professional, and Float is 13 indications that there’s a career in this voice.
Stream the record of many feats below:
Float is out Friday 7/6 via Records of Choice/Dadstache Records
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Eli Enis | @eli_enis
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