Visitor by Yea Big

For fans of Modest Mouse, Jeff Buckley, Portishead, that one problematic band and all its side projects which lots of people are looking to replace in their libraries (it’s Radiohead), and long walks in the sleet-covered snow, Visitor by Yea Big hits that rare balance of progressive, understated indie rock which packs an enormous emotional punch into its narrow dynamic range. Euphoric chord progressions unsettlingly coexist with lyrics describing a bottomless pit at the center of the soul, all smoothed over with a hauntingly pointed aesthetic subtlety. This void of unfulfilled desire manifests into a life spent drifting from one source of satisfaction to another, just as the album waltzes from one track to another, deepening and expanding the examination of the same set of emotions. Tightly controlled, constantly subdued angst recognizes this state as permanent, this space as unfillable. We’ll spend our entire lives as visitors, passing through situations in search of a nonexistent home, left with nothing but the rhythmic music of our endless arrivals and departures.