Georgia’s Lunar Vacation dive into darker sounds, giving listeners an atmospheric experience on their new single “Set The Stage” taken off their forthcoming sophomore LP, ‘Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire.’
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Stream: “Set the Stage” – Lunar Vacation
Lunar Vacation’s new single “Set the Stage” sees the Georgia band delving into somber, more subdued soundscapes, allowing the band to create a palpable atmosphere on the track, one that seems like a departure from their typical beachy and generally upbeat songs. A display of the shows we put on and false narratives we pursue, “Set the Stage” is a perfect introduction to the exploratory phase that Lunar Vacation will be entering for their upcoming album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire.
The track opens with an energetically dark union of drums and guitar, the few opening seconds satisfyingly abrupt and aggressive before the noise quiets down as lead vocalist Gep Repasky – who plays together with Maggie Geeslin, Connor Down, Matteo DeLurgio, and Ben Wulkan – eases listeners into the lyrics.
In my dreams, we’re together
We’ve been in love forever
Now I’d hate it if you’d ever think the same
As the door shuts and opens
The two of us head to destruction
Hand in hand foolish happiness around
Repasky gives listeners the impression that this relationship has been doomed from the start, the reality of the situation a far cry from the dream she lets us into with these lyrics. Even if life was as it were in this dream she describes, the two inevitably “head to destruction.” What’s even more interesting is how chaotic the production began in the opening seconds, while in these few lines, instruments are much quieter, slower, and take a back seat. It mirrors a sort of helplessness and defeated energy that comes through in Repasky’s voice.
Instrumentals begin to pick back up to a rampant type of energy when Repasky confronts the reality of the circumstances.
Your intonation is slipping out
With every word escaping from your mouth
It’s time to set the stage
It’s time to set the stage
It’s time
Setting the stage could be referring to a few different instances here, all of which are equally captivating. Is Lunar Vacation referring to setting the stage as beginning a sort of performance, one that allows those within this companionship to deny the actuality of the state they find themselves in? Or, is one of the two removed from the performance, Repasky taking the perspective of an audience member as the other “sets the stage” for a show of their affection? The meanings and interpretations seem endless, a testament to Lunar Vacation’s ability to craft songs that possess relatability for a vast range of audiences with varying experiences.
In my dreams, we got older
Found acceptance, found another
Who won’t ever look at me the way you do
I feel likе crying every second
That I think of your complеxion
To be fair, you never really fit in me
The ways in which the lyrics and production work in tandem truly helps listeners to immerse themselves in the mindset that Lunar Vacation are putting on display in the track. Each time the chorus begins, the fury of guitar and drums comes rushing back, much like how an unwanted reality check feels:
Your intonation is slipping out
With every word escaping from your mouth
It’s time to set the stage
It’s time to set the stage
It’s time, It’s time
It’s time to set the stage
And there’s no time to step away
It’s time
“Set the Stage” is an exciting introduction to the types of themes we could expect from their upcoming album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, releasing on September 13th via Keeled Scales. This departure from their typical sound, in both lyrical composition and production, is something worth getting excited over.
Change on me again
Change and change again
Change on me again
You changed on me again
You changed and changed again
No way to treat a friend
You changed on me again
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Stream: “Set the Stage” – Lunar Vacation
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© Violet Teegardin
© Violet Teegardin
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