Lunar Vacation have been simmering away in the suburbs of Atlanta for several years now, occupying a woozy space of jangly, dreamy indie diametrically opposed to their hometown's signature hip-hop thud and finally have an album to show for it.
The four-piece began as a partnership between guitarists Grace Repasky and Maggie Geeslin, who added classmates Matteo DeLurgio on synth and Connor Dowd on drums when it became apparent that their songs demanded more, and Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp perfectly captures the thrill of an adolescent project realising its startling potential.
The band exude youthful optimism on the ebullient 'Shrug' and sprint wide-eyed through sunshine on the irresistibly upbeat 'Cutting Corners', but arguably even more impressive is the immediate pivot to 'The Waiting Game' which gently slows the heartrate with crystalline guitars offering a counterpoint to the electronic elements on recent single 'Gears'. It's hard to reconcile a wobbling synth bassline with the band's perennially shimmering psych-pop but it's worth making the mental leap as they make it work tastefully and organically.
Although far from a genuine bum note it's fair to say that this isn't their strongest moment, an accolade which has to go to the expansive burst of joy which splits the pretty verses of 'Peddler' like a beaming grin, or the lilting psychedelic folk which innocently captivates on 'Making Lunch (Not Right Now)' which could be Joni Mitchell in a different life.
Things are going well when the worst part of an album is its name, and this singular band from the city too busy to hate have a wonderfully bright future ahead of them.
Words - Joe Ponting
Lunar Vacation official