VANT - Conceived In The Sky

Conceived in the sky is the sophomore album from VANT and it’s one that I have been looking forward to immensely these past few months. The overall style of this album is very different to Dumb Blood and perhaps what fans were expecting of VANT, but this album is exceptional and definitely worth the listen. The album consists of 13 tracks, 5 of which are interludes, but this album was written to be personal and to show Mattie Vant’s journey from the last few years, and what’s been happening since the release of the debut album.

The tone and production of this album is great, I especially love how the bass and vocals sound on every track. Some might argue that having the same tone through the album is boring and won’t work, but in this case, I feel like it makes the album a more cohesive piece of work which works well with the themes of the album and what was trying to be created. I almost feel like this album is a concept album, though lyrically it might not always fit into the same concept, it sounds that way.

I love how the songs seem to build up to a climax that show the emotion so clearly and make you feel it too, even if it’s not something you relate to on a personal level, the rawness of Mattie’s vocal will draw you in completely. I love the anger and grit we hear on Propaganda Machine and Thank Lucifer too, more so on Propaganda Machine, but it’s rockier and shows the passion so well, I feel like it will be a good song to hear live. Even with the added grit, these songs still have the same tone and themes, and fit well into the overall album.

Lyrically I feel like Mattie opens up a lot on this album about his personal life and the struggles he has faced, which contributes to the change of style on this album too, but it doesn’t fail him as the songs are more raw and emotional to listen to, and it’s definitely an album that needs to be listened to in full to be appreciated properly, though the stand out tracks could be played in a playlist. I feel like the interludes on this album are experimentation and I think it’s really interesting to hear them whether they were recorded deliberately for this album or not. These songs are catchy and will get stuck in your head, they have been in mine for months. Overall, a very good album, different to past VANT material but very well done.

Stand out tracks: Mary Don’t Mind, Best Friends, Exoskeleton, Propaganda Machine and Photographic Head.

Listen to Conceived In The Sky here.

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