Quiet Life ‘Foggy’

Words by Lauren Sorce

Think of summer. Think of two brothers and a few friends gathered in the back of a vegetable-oil powered van, driving cross-country strumming their guitars on the open road. Sounds like the beginning of a movie right? Well, the Indie-Americana band, Quiet Life, does exactly that on “the reg”. The group, Sean Spellman (vocals and guitar) Ryan Spellman (drums and vocals), and Thor Robert Jensen (guitar and vocals), formed their band back in 2010, in Portland Oregon, and have released four albums preceding their newest, Foggy.

Quite essentially, Foggy includes ten tracks, that are soon to become your summer favorites. The album showcases Southern rock and psychedelic indie vibes rolled up into one, and oddly enough resembles what I imagine is the love child of Alt-J and Paul Simon, to be.

If you don’t believe me listen to their title track, “Foggy”. Intentionally, this song creates the visual of being sort of lost in this fog, as the slow beats, followed by the mystical and psychedelic vocals, are somewhat entrancing. The vocals repeat “slow down, you don’t have to go now” which to me, perfectly captivates this visual of a foggy and morass scene.

However, the album also includes less fog, more rock tracks as well. From the very beginning, “Finally Back” acts as the album’s staple Southern rock piece, as it is assertive and louder than the others (and also super fun to dance to). Another great track with rock accents would have to be “Live Wire” – this song feels effortlessly captivating, as it’s indie-rock vibe is so gentle in the begging, only to later morph into a powerhouse for guitar shredding and gospel-like vocal accompaniment. For an indie band, they certainly incorporate a multitude of different genres into their songs.

In the end, the album leaves you with, “Time Until”, a piece that perfectly wraps everything up by sending the message of further exploration. At one point the vocals say “Time until we reach the end” as if to say this is the story of us, and we’re still exploring until the end, enjoying our Quiet Life. A bit of foreshadowing, I hope. All in all, this album is the ultimate soundtrack to your own exploration. Foggy releases April 8, so get in your vegetable-oil powered van and go pick yourself up a copy.