Imagine no gravity… floating weightless and untethered inside a capsule filled with cotton candy… sipping drinks out of a hollowed-out pineapple, looking out a window at the earth below on your way to outer space. You are relaxed and at ease with your place in the universe. That, fittingly, is how I would describe the music of Lunar Vacation. The soft indie pop stylings of this young Atlanta band leave listeners feeling like they are literally about to embark on one. It’s somewhat perfect, considering their synth player is studying to be an aerospace engineer and, according to them, they would all unanimously take a vacation to the moon. Lunar Vacation is made up of Grace Repasky (vocals), Maggie Geeslin (guitar), Connor Dowd (drums) and Matteo DeLurgio (synths/keys).
Their latest musical offering — Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp, produced by Daniel Gleason of Grouplove — is an extraordinary expansion on their previous two EPs (Artificial Flavors and Swell). It has an emotionally deep and mature tone not typically found from musicians of their age. Songs like “Peddler”, “Where is Everyone?” and “Anemone” tackle the often confusing and heartbreaking aspects of romance and loss. They are all too relatable topics: loving someone, but not enough pieces fit to make it work or caring for people who don’t feel the same.
The music itself is upbeat, poppy and even has some splashes of light psychedelic sounds, making it fun and dancey despite its lyrical undertones.
The unusual name of the album, according to singer Grace Repasky, arose when having a discussion with Matteo about figs that were growing in his backyard. “Matteo told us that the figs in his yard are actually inside-out flowers, so when I researched it, I discovered that in order for figs to pollinate, a wasp has to die. I found it very symbolic that you need something scary or bad, like a wasp, to grow into something sweet like a fruit and that’s what the album is kind of about.”
Songs like “The Waiting Game” embrace feelings of depression and uncertainty in the post-COVID world. “Making Lunch (Not Right Now)” is probably my favorite song on the entire album. It highlights the thoughts behind not knowing what you are doing with your life, having uncertainty with where you belong or what you should be doing with your life. While these certainly seem like heavy topics, the band concludes the album with an optimistic final statement: “I feel like I am truly ready to face it all / On my own.” It seems as if the future is bright and the possibilities are endless for this group of eager musicians. Now removed from their biggest show to date, Shaky Knees Music Festival, the band is currently in Europe for their very first overseas gigs. PS, the vinyl is now available as of December 3rd!
Purchase or stream ‘Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp’ album:
Track listing:
- Purple Dreams no. 4
- Peddler
- Shrug
- Where is Everyone?
- Making Lunch (Not Right Now)
- Cutting Corners
- The Waiting Game
- Mold
- Gears
- Anemone
- But Maybe
Lunar Vacation – “Shrug”
Cover photo by Violet Teegardin
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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