Lunar Vacation – ‘Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire’ album review: good but not great
THE SKINNY: When Lunar Vacation first broke out, they had the vigour of youth on their side. They were just high school kids put together by a teacher who suggested they should jam together. But the thing with that is that it’s easy to be “great for your age” when you’re an indie band of teenagers in Atlanta, Georgia. Now grown up, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, is the band’s attempt at being simply great, full stop.
In moments, they manage it. There is no denying the step up in polish from their 2021 debut record. This new one is expertly crafted, perfectly mixed and littered with interesting little instrumental details that sit amongst it all, fading in and out of headphones to make for a fully realised and glossy release. It’s also easy to see the development of the band as individuals and as a unit. Vocalist Gep Repasky sounds impeccable from start to finish, having the kind of voice absolutely made for this brand of dreamy indie music and the guitars across the record venture through all terrains from Slow Dive-inspired shoegaze into more upbeat, 2010s energy, meaning that for fans of the general genre, there will be something to love here.
There are also moments where it steps beyond ‘general indie’ into something special. ‘Fantasy’ is a true stand out as it expands then explodes into full colour. But overwhelmingly, the moments of true greatness are shrouded instead by a sense of settling for “good”.
There is nothing wrong with this album at all. There is also nothing wrong with Lunar Vacation as a unit with clear talent and skill when it comes to crafting great songs and delivering them beautifully. But it lacks a certain spark to make it stand out. When going back to their debut, Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp, it feels like the band were making bolder and more interesting choices. Maybe there was less riding on it, or maybe the bravery has been mistakenly squashed during the process of maturing, but it feels like they need to reconnect with their origin of being kids messing around in a music room—that had vital excited energy.
Maybe it’s a lesson that sometimes a polished sheen doesn’t make a great album. Too often, we think of fine-tuned little details being a sign of high quality. But a great album needs to have great energy first and foremost, with something to say and something to hook people in and keep them hooked song after song, whether that be through great lyrics or bold musical choices. On Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, the album is polished and perfected but not quite as vibrant as hoped.
For fans of: Cookie-cutter indie to soundtrack daily happenings.
A concluding comment from the band’s old music teacher: Come back to the classroom.
Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire Track by track
Release date: 13th September 2024 | Label: Keeled Scales
‘Sick’: A gorgeous indie opening with shoe-gaze vocals and a musical nest that is full of little surprises that jump out of the mix. [3.5/5]
‘Set The Stage’: Gep Repasky’s voice sounds amazing throughout the whole album, but nowhere more so than here, acting as an angelic grounding force as the instrumental becomes louder and crunchier. [3.5/5]
‘Tom’: All brands of jangly indie guitars are found on this album, from atmospheric Slow Dive-esque shoegaze to more 2010s references, as ‘Tom’ sounds like an Alvvays track. [3/5]
‘Erase All The B’s’: A beautiful track when listened to with active ears and full attention, but I fear amidst a shuffle session of the record, it might, undeservingly, get lost. [3/5]
‘Bitter’: It’s around this point that the album falls victim to zoning out. The songs have variety but not quite enough to avoid fading into background listening, lacking a biting grip or any sharp lyrics to grab ears again. [2.5/5]
‘Fantasy’: And here’s the bite I was looking for! As ‘Fantasy’ draws you in and then bursts open, the album suddenly gains the kind of technicolour power it was starting to need. [4/5]
‘Just For Today’: Annoyingly, though, that moment ends a bit too soon as the record returns to a kind of ‘general indie’ positioning. It would be nice to see the band commit more to those bolder cinematic choices. [2.5/5]
‘Better Luck’: Repasky’s voice and a more adventurous musical build make this track a true stand out, seemingly melding all the album’s sounds and influences into one bolder song with some of the record’s best lyrics. [4/5]
‘You Shouldn’t Be’: For this closing remarks, Lunar Vacation show their strengths with a tight musical unit, a stunning vocal and enough bravery to remind the world that they’re still growing. [3/5]
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