A Wonderfully Woven and Honest EP from Vargen

A new release from Vargen delivers a very addictive breed of folk and classic rock that comes through cinematic a lot of the time and boasts a certain honesty with descriptive lyrics and this complete warmth that just feels inviting.

I Believe In You is an EP consisting of three tracks, and throughout those three songs alone, you get such a wonderfully eclectic set of songwriting approaches that have a common theme of staying in that classic rock aesthetic and backbone, but also feeling somewhat spirited in a sense.

The first and title track. "I Believe In You" wastes very little time hitting you with this impactful hook and chorus that just bounces around in your brain for hours or even days after the song has ended, and the only way to satiate that is to go and listen to it again.

You have great drive on this track with guitar tones that are perfectly balanced providing the song with the same amount of color as it does edginess and again, this almost vintage classic rock aesthetic, but a little bit harder hitting so that you have something impactful and vibrant with an energy that feels almost like a live performance in a way.

This track is such an amazing song to introduce the EP with, simply because you're getting some of these great staples that you're still going to hear with the other two tracks.

The chorus has these great backing vocals that bounce between the main one, the guitars, performing these sort of bluesy soulful lead licks here and there that really add depth to the song. There is this vast undertone that makes it feel a bit cinematic, and the whole thing is just spirited.

This is like an uplifting song. You feel good when you listen to it, and that is quickly infectious.

This track is followed by "Mindy Morning", which breeds more of a softer, contemporary folk and pop approach, still with some amazing guitar work, but this time those guitars have a bit of a different feel.

The song also boasts some piano work, which adds a different texture to the song, and I absolutely love this because it makes everything feel lush and very full-bodied.

This track, for some reason, makes me think of artists like Bob Dylan, for example. So, that classic rock undertone is still pretty strong here, too.

There's also a great synth solo section in there that breeds a bit of a 70s psychedelic feel.  This is such a wonderful combination of sounds, creating an atmosphere that you get pulled right into.

Hearing tracks like this one gives me a little bout of nostalgia here and there. I did grow up listening to this kind of stuff because of my parents, and it just nails that genuine sort of mid to late 70s.

I feel like some of these songs are like odds to the many influences that the project takes on, and although each song on this record stands on its own two feet incredibly well as singles, listening to all three in a row really puts you in a certain place.

Although it's only three tracks, it is a great little musical journey and experience to take part in and it feels good when you do so.

There are a lot of colorful attributes to this track, and I certainly enjoy the way this came together.

The third track is called "CASANOVA", and this one, to me, was the most theatrical out of all of them. It has a lot more piano as a main instrument with a widespread and light-handed percussion approach, and so many layers going on that it does indeed feel expansive and spacious.

This track also takes the cake in terms of some great progressions and changes that really give you some surprising little turns here and there, and I think this was an excellent closing track to the record.

The vocal approach on this one has a little bit more swagger to it, and it makes me think of artists like Nick Cave. I definitely enjoyed soaking in this particular aesthetic and also really had a good time with the diversity between the three songs on the record.

No two are alike, but there is a connective element between them all. It's almost like a concept record, but I'm not sure of that part, of course.

After all, I didn't write it. But it does feel like an EP that you should listen to from start to finish, simply because then you get the full experience.

It's kind of like watching a play with three acts.

You don't want to skip an act. You want to watch all of it so you can soak in everything it has to offer, and that's what this EP is all about.

These songs are almost like chapters in the artist's life, sending messages, telling stories, and are performed with the welcoming warmth I mentioned earlier.

You can tell there was a lot of attention to detail in terms of the tones of the instruments, especially the guitars, and how the mix was done with that in mind as well.

I would definitely listen to this record with headphones on so that you can soak in everything that it has to offer in terms of its layers and moods, tones, and sounds. These are beautifully performed and built atmospheres that allow you to sort of float around for a bit.

But don't just take my word for it, listen to this record and see how it affects you.

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