Photo Credit: Cody Travis
Saturday night and it is the last holiday weekend of August here in the UK! I chose the mini-break to paint the front of the house and have utterly tired myself out. Consequently, I am on the sofa with one of the cats, a cup of tea and, actually, a shortbread biscuit too. With that in mind, it is possibly not the best introduction to a bit of dark, alternative goth-rock — but we shall see!
Tonight, with the rain hammering down beneath the darkening sky, I am listening to an older release that is ready to be rediscovered. Let us have a listen to “The Thoughts That Plague You” by Vespera.
This is one of those occasions when I am coming to an album with no preconceptions, as I don’t know the band or their music. I know many see me as the one on our team who reviews the country music — but I definitely have my Goth side as well!
Current members:
Casval Wolfe // vocals
Jonathan Schwartz // drums
Cairn Tse-Lalonde // guitars
Band Bio/Press:
Vespera is an independent Los Angeles alternative-metal band built around the contrast between atmosphere, melody and overwhelming weight. Originally set up in 2016, the band gained early support from Billboard, Revolver, Alternative Press, Rock Sound and Spotify before the pandemic and a series of touring setbacks brought its momentum to an abrupt halt.
The 2019/20 tours were lost to COVID and their trailer was later stolen before the van was totaled in a hit-and-run. Vespera disappeared.
During the five-year public silence, its members remained active on the road with artists including Jutes, Phem, Scene Queen and Demi Lovato. Vespera is now moving again, reconnecting the three EPs that comprise “The Thoughts That Plague You” into the complete 14-song album originally intended.
Photo Credit: Dustin Genereaux.
The Album
The album is available across all platforms and comprises 14 songs, lasting just over 46 minutes.
“Sleepless” — deep, haunting vocals and images of dark romanticism dominate the sense of cinematic nightmare we enter with this track. There is enough melody in the chorus to make me like it — and, let’s just say, for a first listen to an album I don’t know at all, it kept me at the table. There is a sense of drama here, driven along by rolling drums.
“Phoenix Down” changes the line slightly, “speaking out of turn”. This slightly slower track pushes sonically at the headphones, its tone giving it a late-night rock radio acceptability. It’s good.
“Fading Light” — at 4:18, this is one of the longer tracks on the album. A heavy drum beat drives this one, layered vocals add some interesting backing touches, and there is a slightly lighter feel to it. At this point, I was pleased I’d been sent this for a listen. I’m going to make a note on the production of the album so far as well — it is very tight and well executed.
“Obsidian Dreams” delivers a more urban rock feel with a charged atmosphere. For this listener, it was less accessible than the previous tracks — more a descent into the chaos and madness of life — but it still manages to vocally uplift and connects to “I want it back — I need it back” as a message of pain.
“A Fragile Seed” only lasts 1:18. It works here as a dark bridging instrumental piece. It is slight and textured, a hand reaching out through dark times.
“Bloom” hits harder, reflecting on the torment of memories. It delivers from the deepest of trenches and embraces a spooky, theatrical aesthetic.
“Painted Fragile” is a bit of an outlier sound-wise on this album. The interesting beat and heavy drum pound give it an urban cinematic feel. It is a song with a sense of loneliness — “caught between perception…” — and it is an interesting, layered track.
“Vanilla Sky” has some of the heaviest guitars on the album alongside the lightest of vocal touches and harmonies. It switches musically and vocally within the one track. “Escape from your dreamworld” — or escape from the madness?! It continues to be an album with surprises and variation; each song is its own thing.
“Deafening Dissonant” — with this one I sensed the passion for the music that drives musicians. It wants to be heard! The low-down rhythm section has the musicians connected and delivering a tight track that unleashes the monsters within.
“The Thoughts That Plague You” runs at 1:59 and is another of the linking tracks that helps fuse the album together. The three EPs have now been reconstructed into the complete record they were originally intended to form, and these shorter pieces help give the whole thing a sense of continuity. This one drifts in a slightly melancholic fashion — it paints in a deep violet.
“Paradise” — I didn’t connect to this one as well. That’s not to say that it doesn’t fit neatly into the sound of the album, and the tonal changes in the vocals and guitar sound are interesting, but it washed over me a little.
“Gossamer”, on the other hand, gives me a band on strong form. “When the curtain drops” they would, I am sure, take this one live and make an impact. It breaks to a guitar riff mid-section, hits differing vocal patterns and paints it black.
“Euphoria/Dysphoria”, at 4:50, is the longest track on the album and ponders how we sometimes hate ourselves. There is a sound shift mid-track, a haunting backing and a sense that the album is beginning to turn towards its close.
“Smile” is the closest this album gets to a ballad. I really liked the drum sound on this one and the track ends matters on a musical high. From my first listen to these guys, they really know how to play!
There is something rather appropriate about listening to The Thoughts That Plague You while the rain beats against the windows. This is an album that lives comfortably in the darker corners of the imagination, but it isn’t simply darkness for darkness’ sake. Melody, atmosphere and some seriously weighty musicianship keep pulling it back towards the light.
The interesting thing about rediscovering an album that has spent so long fragmented across three EPs is that it finally gets to make its case as a complete journey. For me, not every track landed equally, but there is enough here to make me understand why Vespera wanted this record heard in the form it was originally intended.
And perhaps that is the real story of “The Thoughts That Plague You:” an album that disappeared for a while, only to emerge from the shadows and ask us to listen again. On a wet Saturday night in the north of England, with a cat on the sofa and a cup of tea beside me, I discovered some really strong musicianship and dark songwriting that I am very happy to have spent time with. My Press Kit asked me to leave more connected when I left than when I arrived – I did!
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You can stream music from Vespera here
By Lorraine Foley
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