You better make way for Vanilla Franco, you can smell his brilliant bars from a mile away, especially with his latest release Traction. Vanilla mostly centers his music around Rock and a lot of major influences shine through, especially in this album. His influences include Tame Impala, Mac De Marco and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. There is also a hint of My Chemical Romance in there if I’m not mistaken. This album- Traction lives up to the name, each song has influences and a life of its own. The album consists of 9 songs and you can see that it was Vanilla’s labor of love. The detailing on each song- chef’s kiss.Â
Vanilla Franco is Building Pressure
The album begins with Building Pressure. You know Vanilla Franco means business when you listen to this opening number. Each note is crisp, and the balance between sung notes and said notes is impeccable. The same can be said for most songs on this album as they follow a similar pattern. He makes a strong entrance with a strong drum calling his entrance. Right when you think the instrumentals are overpowering the song, it takes a step back and allows Vanilla’s voice to shine through.Â
Invisible Boys
Invisible Boys somehow breaks this pattern of pure rock and brings in the influences of synth. It is also one of the songs where the instrumentals are as strong as the vocals. The quality of the high hats rings in your ear in the best way possible. Each song has a life of its own, especially Monkey On A Mission. The track is more pop than any of the songs on the album. This might be because of the guitar on the song, it’s as prominent as the drums.Â
James Bond
Vanilla Franco sure has an interesting mind, every name (of songs) on this album is attention-drawing. Leaving us with images and our imagination doing its work, we make up a personality for the song even before we hit the play button. And we aren’t mistaken to a large extent, when you hear James Bond you feel a strange sense of euphoria and drive. Almost as though you can do anything. The beat structure of this song seems a lot more meticulous as well. The strings take the foreground here, unlike the rest of the songs on the album.Â
Every note in this album will be seared into your memory by the time you hit the pause button. Much like Monkey Man, although the film is out for barely a week, it has made quite the noise at the box office. The energy of Traction matched the energy of Monkey Man and deserves to be on its playlist. Follow the links attached above and allow Vanilla Franco to make a note in the neural pathway of your brain.