CURRENTLY // Absent Sounds [album] by From Indian Lakes

Where I live in Canada, we've recently had a huge dump of snow. This makes me not only happy as a snowboarder, but also as a music lover, because this means I can start getting into more winter music. From Indian Lakes' third album, and first with Triple Crown Records, Absent Sounds is exactly what I was looking for. With a mix of emotional vocals, heavy instrumentals, and chilling lyrics, Absent Sounds is the winter jam you've been looking for. 

One of my favourite things about From Indian Lakes' music is lead vocalist Joey Vannucchi's vocal flexibility, that allows for the creation of almost any style of music. Just in this album alone, it varies from strongly instrumental, rhythm-heavy tracks like "Breathe, Desperately" or "Sleeping Limbs", to soft, emotional pieces like "Runner" or "Awful Things". The album starts with "Come In This Light", which is the perfect opening piece. The song starts with nothing but almost silence, rhythmic piano, and building synth, until after 52 seconds, a burst of percussion and vocals is revealed. The repeated lyric "You don't know what it's like to lose" not only showcases Vannucchi's clear falsetto, but also highlights the underlying theme of grief that floats throughout the album. The next track, "Label This Love", which is one of my favourites on the album, jumps right into loud drums and heavy bass, showing the contrast this band is capable of. One of the album's singles, "Ghost" is a perfect example of the intricate percussion that is typical of From Indian Lakes, and even quietly features sleigh bells during the first verse, proving appropriate for this time of year.

From Indian Lakes started out when Vannucchi became interested in learning drums at a very young age. His love for music blossomed through the drum kit and into many other instruments, as well as song-writing. Vannucchi writes and records all of the music for From Indian Lakes, and enlists the help of a five-piece band only for touring and live performances.

Vannucchi performing live with band members Justin Stanphill
[guitar/vocals], Enrique Gutierrez [keyboards/percussion/
samples/vocals], Tohm Ifergan [drums], and Chris Kellogg
[bass/vocals].

Many of the songs on this album are very instrumentally-driven, but this does not mean that the emotional, sometimes dark lyrics are lost. Songs like "Sleeping Limbs" feature chilling lines like "What's the point to this? / There's no point to this", "And even if the light pours in up over my head / Will I see it then or pretend that I'm dead again", and "'Cause we all change with the morning after / But these tired hearts aren't beating fast enough", floating along with airy harmonies over top of gritty bass. Meanwhile, "Awful Things" contrasts with its soft vocals, slower tempo, and acoustic feel, but deeper lyrics are a constant, with lines like "Guess I know what it's like now / To be honest / See what I'm hiding / In the closet", "Can I lay back and close my eyes / And pretend you're mine?", and "Have we made a fool of love? / Have we taken all the good away?". "Search for More", a personal favourite of mine on this album, boasts hair-raising lines like "You fall in love / Don't waste it all", "Does it hurt at all / To find out / You're nothing more", and "You think you know what's coming 'til you're fading", paired with Vannucchi's effortless falsetto.

From Indian Lakes are capable of so much in terms of musical style. From their heavier, 2009 unsigned debut, The Man With Wooden Legs, up until their most recent, shimmering clean, vocally hushed release in October, Everything Feels Better Now, Vannucchi has boasted his song-writing talents through many shades of alternative, with Absent Sounds a perfect middle ground for the band. With beautifully written instrumental, and vocals and lyrics almost as chilling as the air outside, this album will make the perfect addition to you winter playlist.

Find Absent Sounds by From Indian Lakes on Spotify and Apple Music, and check out their live session for AudioTree Live above.