Increasingly, I find myself, a dyed-in-the wool alt-rock aficionado, lured into the realm of indie pop; while others have baited the hook and cast the line, Nashville-based songstress Trella has reeled me in, and I have fallen for her debut EP, Vapor, hook, line, and sinker.
“I was living in the pretense…I’m standing up, I’m gonna be free this time,” she sings in bustling and multilayered album opener “Crash,” a tune that completely envelopes the listener with lushly-textured sonic swells, celestial backing vocals, and Trella’s angelic voice, as she recalls a journey, and firmly establishes her place in the world. The sentiment of empowerment and place continues with anthemic album standout “Stand Up,” easily an appropriate soundtrack for our current time in history. “I’m louder, I’m bolder, I have found my strength again..ain’t nothing gonna hold me down,” she declares as her voice soars, taking our hearts with it.
The album finishes as strongly as it begins with its final tracks, gentle heartstring-tugger “Salt” and hopeful fist-pumper “Breathe Again.” Vapor is sheer pleasure from cover to cover; all of the elements—strings, percussive bass, and her remarkable voice that bends and curves in just the right way—combine in the most beautiful manner, mirroring the all-encompassing feel of the ocean of her native Florida, and providing an almost worshipful experience. It’s not to be missed.
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