I recently saw a tweet that said something to the effect of “what’s your hipster brag,” and at first I couldn’t think of anything, but as I sat to write this I realized my hipster brag is being a From Indian Lakes fan. I’ve been listening since they released Absent Sounds in 2014, and they’re one of the bands that have really stuck with me through the years. 

The first time I saw them live, I was a 17 year old who still couldn’t drive. I dragged my art teacher and friend Becca with me, and all I could talk about on the way up was how excited I was to finally see From Indian Lakes, despite the fact that they were opening for the 10-year anniversary of Relient K’s Mmhmm. I had listened to Absent Sounds every day since it had released, and I continued to do so for almost an entire year. After their set, I shyly asked Joey Vannucchi to sign my t-shirt and he did; I still have it. I doubt he remembers, but it was one of those formative music moments for me; the ability to truly connect with an artist was life-changing.

This takes us to ten years later, eight releases of various singles and full lengths in, and my love for From Indian Lakes has never wavered. Joe and his friends’ abilities to create sonic landscapes has never ceased to amaze me. They’re consistent but refreshing, always wiling to up the ante and change the expectations of the genres they’ve gravitated toward. They started with kind of a post-punk vibe, and their dreamo and shoegaze phases have only deepened my affection for them. I’ve always preferred their hazier sounding stuff, and I’m thrilled they’ve kept at it for these past four albums.

Head Void was one of my most anticipated projects for the year, even though at the time I wrote that we had barely any details on what to expect. From Indian Lakes is an artist for me like Paramore, a tried and true addition to my library. It doesn’t matter what they’re putting out, I’m listening. With Head Void, we’ve stuck to the dreamier side of pop, but there’s a darkness there, akin to the 2016 full length Everything Feels Better Now, or the 2017 single “I Feel It On the Back of My Neck”. Tracks like “Hold Me Down” have a haunting presence amongst the other tracks in the discography, almost emotionless but not quite. Despite Joe’s best efforts to sometimes seem uncaring and unaffected, the feelings end up being stronger somehow – evident two tracks later, “Spilling Over”, where he sings, “I’m filling up / Keep filling up / And I keep spilling over”.

What really drives this album in particular is the craftsmanship in the instruments. This is the follow-up album to the bright and cheery Dimly Lit (2019) that no one expected. I often feel like Joe picks songwriting or music for an album to take a focus, and for Head Void, the guitars are twinkling and forward, while the vocals are almost hidden. It’s not quite shoegaze, but it’s heading in that direction. I also appreciate the use of his lower vocal register here, something we don’t always get from him.

Head Void is spacey, it’s a thinker. Lines like, “Keep me closer / I’m coming in / Too far along your eye / We feel older / Running outside”  from closer “Keep Me” is the fervent request of an artist who longs to be remembered, both by those in his personal sphere and those of us who have followed the From Indian Lakes journey. If the band keeps releasing albums like this, that won’t be hard to do.

4.5/5

by Nadia Alves

Nadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.