Vita and the Woolf - Tunnels (2017) lossless

Unfairly or not, expectations were raised for Vita and the Woolf after they made waves at SXSW in 2016. They were listed on several publications’ and websites’ favorite discoveries at the mammoth festival. Their single, “Brett”, which was released just prior to SXSW, sparked interest across the internet, including landing on our 2016 Mega, Mega Playlist of our favorite songs. Jen Pague (vocals/keyboards/synths) and Adam Shumski (drums) suddenly became one of the buzziest bands on the planet. Their plans to record and release their debut album went into full swing with hopes of unveiling it to the world early in 2017. After a couple of false starts, TUNNELS has finally seen the light of day, and it is one of the most awe-inspiring records of the year.

The album’s beauty lies in two elements. The first is Pague’s incredibly powerful and exhilarating vocals. They fill the air like Florence Welch, yet they possess the breathtaking, operatic beauty of Austra’s Katie Stelmanis. Her voice, without exaggeration, is one of the most powerful, dynamic, and memorable in music today. The second is the cinematic soundscapes that the two, long-time friends create with just a couple of instruments. From cosmic to ethereal to haunting to heart-pounding, Vita and the Woolf cover the entire field. The album’s opener, “Sun Drop”, offers a glimpse of what is to come. It starts off as an edgy, sinister electro-rock number, grabbing our attention with the pulsating rhythms and searing synths. The ending, though, is explosive, specifically Pague’s piercing vocals during the aria.