From Indian Lakes – Wanderer EP Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
As if some spectral being was listening to my deep thoughts last night, From Indian Lakes released new music. There I was working behind the bar listening to them through my work’s speakers and I consciously thought, “I would love to hear something new from these guys.” Well, at midnight a surprise came into my life via my Spotify telling me that Wanderer was released.
What a mighty job Joey Vannucchi and company have done this time around. For a band that has been acclaimed for their ability to create atmosphere, they continue doing just that on all five tracks of Wanderer. The EP is full of acoustic cadences lead by Vannucchi’s beautiful voice. Every note he hits is pronounced and confident, whether being an airy falsetto or a mid ranged hum. Not only do they compose new songs for fans but they revision tracks and mold them into ambient acoustic tracks full of life and harmony. My favorite acoustic rendition is the opening track for Absent Sounds “Come In This Light.” What was once a droning yet technically atmospheric track is now reimagined with soft piano notes backing an emotionally driven vocal performance. It’s the creativity that From Indian Lakes has always had that allows for the softest of songs to spark energy in the listener.
“Wanderer” is the beginning track to this surprise EP. It’s vivid and full of melody, having Joey Vannucchi trying to calm our deepest anxieties of loneliness, “all of this time I’ve been wandering just to be with you, I wander on.” It’s an anthem that makes driving aimlessly onwards full of purpose. It’s a validation that the more miles we pile on the outcome will be positive and full of love. Closing track “The Bad Parts” is the most stripped down I have heard From Indian Lakes. They move the track forward with synthesized bells and a drum pad rather than an acoustic strum or fast plucked guitar notes. Instead the guitar notes provide the chord shape and the rest of the music swoons and swirls in the mix. Halfway through the track a guitar solo cuts through the notes with plenty of feeling and emotional dexterity.
From Indian Lakes continue to showcase their talent value to the world. Wanderer is not only a wonderful EP, it is a saving grace of exactly what people seek out when they listen to this band. If there is more music coming from the California act this year, I’m sure it will be yet another home run with fans desperately wanting their minds to be soothed.
Score: 8.3/10
