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By Steve B.
September 16, 2021
2 min read
Vocals are the star of Sun Shower, the new album from Boston-based Musician and Visual Artist Indë. The songs speak of love, loss, and ambition, and the album is expertly crafted to let Indë’s vision shine. The words and melody hold the center stage while the instrumentation is sparse and comes and goes as needed. Indë isn’t afraid of silence or moments of bare vocals. This gives Indë the freedom to pivot the tempo and tonality of a song on a dime. Throughout the album, clever and judicious use of vocal harmonies take the place of instrumentation. And when Indë uses vocal harmonies, they aren’t confined to the background—the vocal layers fight for attention with the melody and act like a rich sonic blanket—think Jacob Collier or (like it or not) Billie Eilish.
One great example is about a minute into the first song “New Muse.” The keyboards drop out, leaving just drums and vocals. Some simple vocal harmonies fill out the melody while Indë speaks to how things are good, but perhaps could be better. A bass fades in as the lyrics shift to loneliness, and on the word “lonely,” the vocal harmony deepens and saddens, but just for a beat. The tonal shift straightens for a moment but then continues to veer, landing on the lyric “in the sun,” where the vocal harmony suddenly expands and lightens for a moment, giving the impression of the sun piercing through a grey cloud. The instrumentation drops out again as the vocals slow, setting up a contrast for when the up-tempo beat of the chorus drops moments later.
It is these clever, engaging moments that make listening and relistening to Sun Shower such a pleasure. Be sure to check out Sun Shower, which is available on the major streaming platforms.
* Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #139 September 2021