Music is something you make your own. A genre can speak to you, allowing you to channel its aesthetic to express yourself to others in new and profound ways. For some, however, a genre is simply a name you give your work. This is the perfect way to describe multi-talented artist Fredo Viola’s new album, My New Head. The album pushes the boundaries of experimental indie rock, opting for a fantasy-style with a dreamy aesthetic to back it up. It all starts with Demolition, a track that creates a nice motif of a lullaby under construction. Plenty of saws accompanied by a music box tune. It’s a nice way to set the stage for the album.
Waiting For Seth is a stand-out track with smooth lyrics that move you right in with the comforting instrumentals before the bassline hits and gives it a pulse. The dreamy aesthetic overtakes the track as it moves deeper into the track before getting heavier around the 1 minute mark, keeping your head moving the whole time. The song blooms like a flower when Fredo Viola sings “I feel its fingers spreading wide, hiding my face, setting me free†and keeps up the tempo on top of the marching snares. The track does its best to bring you into it and will have you moving in your seat before it’s over. That is, until a staticy outro zips it shut. This is followed by Clouded Mirror
The track takes a decidedly different, sinister tone from the top. It is achieved with deep synths and percussion that Fredo Viola makes his own when he softly croons “if I could change your mind, with a melody.†The vocals guide the track as it moves through an emotional story, backed with plenty of great instrumental surprises. This is especially true for the trippy guitar solo around the 2 minute mark, which steals the show on this stand-out track. It all adds up to a stand-out track with a ton of memorable moments to remember it by.
The dreamy aesthetic that permeates the album is versatile and used differently in each track. While some of them may seem a bit distant, tracks such as Waiting For Seth and Stars and Rainbows are memorable and show off the musicianship of Fredo Viola. While some tracks stand out more than others, each track has its own personality. This is especially true when it builds off of a previous track to make the experience pop. While this cinematic album may not be for everyone, those who give it a listen will leave with the most memorable of these tracks stuck in their head.
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