An Experimental Indie Release from Puddle Jumping & Prosperity Lanes

An album release from Puddle Jumping & Prosperity Lane recently dropped. This record is one of the most fun, full-bodied, and experimental pieces of work I've heard in a while, as it combines tons of elements of pop rock, acoustic pop, folk rock, and plenty more, all rolled into one juicy record that delivers as much color as it does character.

The record is called Prancing Toward Milk & Honey. It certainly doesn't waste much time getting straight to the point with the first track, "ancient truth inside the bible", which right off the back, gives you some of that vibrant color, crisp and sort of twangy acoustic guitar tones, great percussion that drive the song but also keeps to that poppy overtone, and vocals that sort of deliver these hooks, even in the verses.

This is quite an excellent track to introduce the record with, as you're getting some of the best staples the album holds; however, listening to one or two songs from this album will not give you its full spectrum.

There are quite a few surprises around its corners, and the songs can branch off in different directions genre-wise, even slightly, so it has a unique way of keeping you on your toes.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of this album sits firmly under the pop umbrella, but it's also very indie, and very lush.

As the record unfolds, you start getting a grasp of some of the synth and electronic work that lies in the underbelly of the entire thing. This also adds to the sort of Indie robustness of it, but showcases how these songs are written with very few walls built around them.

Songs like "indoor pool" serve as a damn near perfect example of exactly that.

The percussion has this great, almost foxtrot sort of feel to it, the vocals are animated, and the whole thing kind of feels theatrical.

Acoustic guitar drives the song, and the whole thing is riddled with melodic flavor.

You get some great honesty in the vocals, and they certainly don't hold back much in terms of their wording, and there's also this great sort of atmospheric undertone that exists beneath the surface.

These are the attributes that make this record so addictive in the first place.

The deeper into the record you go, the more you can sort of pick up on their many influences.

They aren't afraid to take a different direction and still keep things fun, quirky, and slightly bubbly, while still having a bit of depth.

There's plenty of electric guitars going on in certain parts of the record as well, and one of my favorite tracks on the entire thing is called "queen bee", which showcases a lot of their eclectic and experimental approaches, electric guitar work, fat bass guitar tone, and vocals that are a little bit more forward going. They belt out a little stronger, and the song comes through with a slight edge to it. It's not exactly heavy, but it does have a different kind of energy and atmosphere to it.

This is definitely a record that can sort of swallow you up. It's easy to get engulfed in this because it's such a particular kind of aesthetic and soundscape.

There's a lot about these songs and how they were recorded that sort of put you in the moment with them. It feels like a lot of this was done live on the floor, and everyone was feeding off of each other the entire time in terms of the energy going around the room.

It's on songs like "wake up me" that you can start hearing more of the straight folk influence involved. Although there are a lot of acoustic guitars, a lot of the record is not just straight folk-oriented.

As I mentioned before, they take a lot of different directions, but you do have that mixture of folk, pop, acoustic, indie rock, and more meshed together and done differently per song.

Another one of my favorites is the closing track called "apple", which has such a smooth guitar approach that makes me think of artists like Elliott Smith, for example. But they go in a great Indie kind of direction that also makes me think of bands like Pavement.

It's crossovers and mixtures like that that showcase the different influences and how they're able to churn out songs that stand on their own two feet, have their own personality, and come through in a way that wraps themselves around you and keeps you right where they want to.

I certainly adore that spacious undertone that exists throughout the course of the album's play through, and how the songs do have a great set of layers to them, blending tones and textures the entire time.

The vocals are experimental as well, but can be straightforward, too. A lot of times, there are these high-pitched vocals that serve almost like instruments themselves, floating through the songs' ether and adding little melodies and harmonies throughout.

The whole thing definitely has a bit of a floatiness to it that invites you to float alongside it.

It's an album you sort of swim through.

I would suggest listening to this entire thing all in one shot. It's a lot of fun and a unique experience doing it that way.

I also suggest doing this with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to soak in all of the great textures, layers, lyrics, and tones that are happening.

This has a very particular way of pulling you away from whatever you're doing and whatever you are and putting you in their headspace for a while. It is a fun, flavorful, colorful, vibrant, smooth, and experimental headspace, and one you don't want to miss out on.

So, take a deep dive into this one so you can hear exactly what I'm talking about.

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