Review Summary: Lovin' La Vida Loca
When Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock’s side project Antarctigo Vespucci saw life in 2014 with the release of
Soulmate Stuff and
I’m So Tethered the reception towards the project was lukewarm. While there was plentiful praise for Jeff and Chris’s chemistry along with their work being contagious and fun, there was also an abundance of criticism in regards to both releases being unable to match the caliber of Chris or Jeff’s previous work and being too unfocused to warrant a full listen.
Leavin’ La Vida Loca, the debut album from Antarctigo Vespucci, treads familiar ground in regards to execution, but sees a slight change that ultimately makes it a strong debut.
Like the two EP’s before it, the album tracks another change in the band’s core dynamics with the heavily influenced Weezer-esque pop rock and power punk being swapped out in favor of flashy surf rock buzz. Among other things, Chris Farren’s bleak lyricism and Jeff’s constantly morbid upbeat production sees a change in dynamics too. Most noticeable is Farren’s songwriting, while still as depressing and self-defeatist as ever, there isn’t as strong of a playful backbone as there was on the group’s previous EPs. This in itself gives Jeff some noticeable breathing room, as the glitzy synths have been replaced with calmer instrumentals and even some atmospheric and sometimes subtle synth work.
This surprisingly strengthens
Leavin’ La Vida Loca’s overall quality, as Farren and Jeff hone their lyricism and composition into consistently focused storytelling with catchier lines and hooks to match. Just as always, Jeff Rosenstock’s combination of twinkling keyboards and powerful guitar riffs breath energy into the composition of the tracks and complement Farren’s quirky vocal style perfectly. Effectively driving home the subject matter of Farren’s uncertainty and fears in life in the same stylistic morbidity of Bomb the Music Industry and Fake Problems respectively.
Despite this,
Leavin’ La Vida Loca suffers from the same drawback that was present in Antarctigo Vespucci’s previous releases. Certain tracks on the album, while certainly far from being bad, don’t have the caliber to match the definite stand-outs of the album. Making them feel like background noise for anyone digesting the album in one sitting. Thankfully though, this is only a minor setbacks in what is an ultimately stellar release. It’s clear now that Antarctigo Vespucci is in fact more than a one-shot side project with power to match. Whatever Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock have planned next for the project, there’s no doubt something exciting will come out of it.
