A swirling array of art-rock, psych-infused guitars, and climactic power defines Neon Seeping from the Pavement, the debut mixtape from NYC-based outfit All Violet. Recorded largely in frontman Brian Tannenbaum’s Midtown residence, the album channels the heartbeat of the town streets into its instrumentation, making a vivid, immersive listening expertise that balances introspective lyricism with adventurous sonic textures.
The immersive “Every thing is Treatment” opens the album in inviting type, arriving into the station with western-y guitar twangs and lyrical observations on the prevalence of gear. “Take your dose and go to mattress,” the debonair vocals let loose, lamenting a state of being “at all times sick, usually sedated.” The observe was initially impressed by a Josh Kline exhibit at The Whitney Museum of Artwork, additionally exploring consumption — of each prescription drugs and media — with suave intrigue.
The following “Animals Home” additionally stirs, melding jangling guitar enthusiasm with a vocal pleading to “run and conceal.” Shades of basic The Libertines present within the punchy rock aesthetic, whereas its Dostoyevsky literary inspiration additionally compels in depicting how man might worry ending what he creates, from loving the act of constructing greater than the finished work itself. Dazzling guitar work, hovering with psych-ready charisma, drives into a very enveloping last minute.
A steadily unveiling rock momentum takes maintain on the unbelievable “Clues,” venturing from shimmering acoustics and lyrical introspections — “what am I right here for? I want to know” — as twanging guitars and cohesive rhythms ease in alongside. “Painful at all times trying again at solutions proper below my nostril,” the vocals captivate into flourishing layers of guitar; the thematic views of self-discovery, and the way sure realizations come too late and solely after evaluation, show resonating. The observe’s finale is gorgeous, as nicely — producing an effervescent guitar-forward harmoniousness that appears like a cross of Ozma and Radiohead.
Creating from folk-set philosophizing right into a vibrant expanse, “Kafka” is one other success — reflecting on the persistence of connection and resilience amid existential uncertainty, the place life “at all times finds a method” to push ahead even in confusion or loss. “I’ll cover my face in you / You’ll cover your face in me / And nobody will see us anymore,” the vocals ring out, emphasizing refuge in connection even amidst chaos and uncertainty. This contemplative gem then strikes into one of many album’s hardest-rocking showcases in “esque,” invigorating in its anthemic vocal work and album-referencing last chorus.
Additionally excelling in its selection between dreamy caressing and ardent energy, “Kintsugi” weaves twinkling guitars and percussive pit-pattering to begin — as vocals admit that “life’s not an issue to be solved.” The music displays on human fragility and the seek for that means, enthralling in a “we disintegrate” chorus that captures the inevitability of human vulnerability and the emotional or existential breakdowns all of us expertise. It’s one other movingly melodic standout on an album that’s stuffed with them. From contemplative musings to guitar-driven climaxes, the mixtape constantly reveals All Violet’s ingenious strategy, crafting a debut that feels each speedy and enduringly compelling.
