This album starts off with “Dinosaur”, which is very dreamy and dreary, but I’ve come to expect no less. However, when some of those guitars break through they actually end up sounding more defined than ever. Fog Lake still may a dreamy Bedroom Pop project fueled by Noir, but they’ve massive leaps as far as production goes. I love the sort of waltz this track turns into, as Aaron’s vocals get more meditative by the second. There’s a real sincerity to them that I can’t help but adore and a real sense of longing. I actually really love this as an intro, and it really brings you into the mood for Fog Lake’s music. But as soon as “Acrylic” starts up, Fog Lake lose a hell of a lot of steam. Sure, this one eventually picks up into a rather sweet, Low-Fi ballad. But this one doesn’t nearly have the same atmosphere this album started off with and lacks that slight confidence. That confidence may have been tough to pinpoint because every one of For Lake’s performances practically come off so shy and quiet, but it was still there. On “Acrylic” though, it’s nowhere to be found. Eventually, this one does become a sort of sweet ballad, but this doesn’t pack nearly as much of a punch, and even comes off as a little flimsy. Now, “California” still has that very quiet and shy feel to it. But instantly this becomes one of Fog Lake’s most cinematic and beautiful tracks I’ve heard n years. I’m stunned by just how grand the pianos come off here, and Aaron’s vocals just so hurt and longing. I absolutely love also just how dreary the lyrics are here. Now, while this has always been sort of a Low-Fi project, if I heard more of this in the future I really wouldn’t be mad. “California” is incredibly sweet, and I have nothing bad to say about it. Then we have “Serotonin” which breaks out of the dreariness and fogginess of early tracks, pardon the pun. It’s upbeat, and much more of a positive sounding track, it almost comes off like a cover. But Fog Lake roll with it and it ends up coming off really charming and sweet. The sounds of Fog Lake remain really minimal, with only Piano, Bass, and Drums on deck, and there’s part of me that really wouldn’t mind hearing even more instrumentals. But with tracks like this, I can’t say no at all, and it’s seriously fun.
As this album rolls on, it’s becoming clearer by the minute that this is most diverse and expansive Fog Lake album to date, even though it hovers under half an hour. I love the soaring pianos on “Monster”, and just how visual the lyrics get, they’ve upped their game in a big way in that department. But more than that, this continues to land more in the realm of much more positive material, which is something we’ve never really encountered with Fog Lake. Positive on the surface at least, because under the surface there are some very dreary moments. But still, this is scratching all the right itches. Now, like I said this is by far Fog Lake’s most diverse album yet. Sadly though that is a bit of a double edged sword for the band. Because when Fog Lake bust out a track like “Doghouse” it just seems like a massive step back. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very warm, stripped down Folk ballad that sounds great from a distance. But vocally, this is incredibly bland, and doesn’t have any personality in sight, and overall this just seems so mediocre compared to some of the more positive sounding tracks here. The coming out party sadly, has been cut a little short. Now, with “Goldmine” things get really interesting, as Fog Lake come out with their most straightforward Folk Rock track to date. It’s strangely straightforward, with a new found confidence that’s really invigorating. It’s on the simple side, but it works really well. My only complaint here is that I wish it was a little bit longer. But still, “Goldmine” is a delightful change of pace. But for another stripped back ballad, “Captain” takes the cake. This is an emotionally heavy tune that instantly I just can’t get enough of. And all of that being said, it’s just a simple instrumental. But Fog Lake end up packing more emotion into this less than 2-minute dreary masterpiece than any other track here.
Now, “Talk” is the most off-kilter tune here in a really strange way. Here, we see Fog Lake stripping back even further and working with some sort of strange rhythms that just don’t ever really seem to get going. It’s not even that they’re hard to place, they just literally aren’t good at all. And between that and the very average singing and lyrics that seem borrowed from every other track here, “Talk” just breezes by causing no impact. Now, for a finale, “Dying out East” is actually one of the more straightforward tracks here. We get this nice, warm Folk sound alongside some of Aaron’s most passionate vocals yet. It’s a pretty charming finale, even if Fog Lake at this point really aren’t bring anything new to the table.
Rating: 7.5/10
Give A Listen To: “Dinosaur”, “California”, “Monster”, “Captain”
Least Favorite Track: “Doghouse”
Genre: Bedroom Pop / Low-Fi / Indie Folk
Overall Thoughts: Fog Lake on “Captain” deliver some of their most straightforward and broad material to date. Numerous moments on here they break out of the Low-Fi genre in exchange for some very charming Folk. And for the most part, they sound really great. But it ends up leading to their downfall as well here. Moments that show the band breaking out of their shell are great, but when they just end up retreating to their very shy brand of Bedroom Pop directly after, it comes off cheapened. While this album has some of Fog Lake’s best tracks in years, I would honestly rather hear them pick a sound and stick with it.
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