Life is full of changes. The peaks and valleys of our lives can be both extravagant and incredibly daunting, though either result offers a solid learning experience that can change our outlook on life. This is the core of Vectralux’s new EP, The Sudden Extravaganza. When speaking about the EP, lead vocalist Andy Teghethoff says “We all have contrasts and contradictions that pile up in our lives. Plusses and minuses, details and generalities. There’s a sine wave of highs and lows but when you look back, eventually we perceive those ups and downs more as a line than a wave. A blur of good days and bad days — many days both at once. We may remember peaks and troughs, but on the whole it’s a plainsong pageant. Just your typical tornado. A stationary journey. It’s a Subtle Extravaganza.”
Dopamine wastes no time in jumping straight into a lively, head-bobbing beat from the top. The bass grooves low while the wild synths rise above, with the guitar grooving alongside it all. The drums add a small bounce to the overall attitude of the track to ground the sound of the track amidst the sci-fi stylings of the synths. The echoing guitar solo on the last leg of the track hits hard, especially when the synths move through your brain from ear to ear behind it, which ends up stealing the show and leaving a smile on your face and ready for the next track.
Agonizing Reappraisal hits the ground running with smashing percussions, jammin guitars and a buttery smooth bass groove to hold it all together. While the drums and guitar keep their free-wheeling nature, increasing intensity to fit the mood of the track accordingly, the bass moves behind it all to smooth out the edges in the sound with a devilishly groovy depth that’s easy to get lost in once you hear it. Lyrically, the track is a song of love lost from an interesting point of view. Lines such as “I’ve done excruciating analysis of all the books of our love. Accounting errors are rampant, I’ve summarized them above,” gives a peculiar edge to the track that gives it an extra punch when vocalist Andy Teghethoff sings “I’ve been taking painstaking notice of all the time I’ve wasted on you. Details are inconclusive, and pending external review.” The high-energy instrumentals combined with the edge of a cold, impersonal corporate performance review take on a former relationship gives “Agonizing Reappraisal” a unique and oddly satisfying personality for a breakup track.
The Top is a decidedly different track, in spite of the synth intro creeping in and setting up a surreal mood before the acoustic guitar strums take command of the track. The vocal performance is noticeably soft and tender, with a warmth that grows with the swelling instrumentals. The atmosphere becomes as warm and welcoming as the vocals when the bass moves in, followed by the drums to give the track a full-bodied heartbeat. Lines such as “the wait is over, I can take you into my heart” doubles down on this wholesome feeling of love.
The Unexpected Extravaganza is a fun, energetic and engaging listen from start to finish. “Dopamine” grabs you by the ears and doesn’t let you go until “Ghosts,” and even then you’ll have a hard time listening to each track just once. Each one has its own personality, dipping into familiar indie inspirations such as Blur that err on the heavier side and ramps you up from the start, but lets you down easy. While it may be a bit unexpected, The Unexpected Extravaganza is an EP for anyone looking for a classic indie rock sound with some fun modern twists.
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