Lockdown was an interesting time for Vaughn Ahrens. It triggered a full turnaround in his chosen sound and, spurred on by the realisation that life is short, he’s dropped a genre-broaching comeback album, whose tongue-in-cheek title, Here Lies Vaughn Ahrens, serves as a cheeky nod to the idea that breaking genre is career suicide in the music scene.
On the contrary, when it comes to Here Lies Vaughn Ahrens, I think this might be Ahrens’ best work yet. The fleeting, punchy album clocks in at just under half an hour, and finds its feet in everything from his classic indie-folk, to synth-heavy pop, electronic nuance, a solid dose of rock tendencies, and a cherry on the top piano ballad to boot.
Throughout he grapples unpleasant human interactions which never quite improve (“Thorn in My Side”), a try hard for nothing relationship (“Small Talk”), the sultry magic of a single evening (“We Have Tonight”), and the exquisite and excruciating transince of life (“Grave Digger”).
And in amongst those varied thematics, his equally varied sound breathes life into it all. Lush, swoony synth melody and a tumping bridge drives “Thorn in My Side”, rollicking indie rock finds its place in “Small Talk” – while “Requim” favours an eerie, Hallowween-esque chiming synth, hinged on eerie experimentalism. Then we have the echoing atmospheric croon of his only Afrikaans track on the album, “Hemelryk”.
Ahrens navigates his broad sonic spectrum with such fine-tuned prowess it’s actually hard to believe he never ventured into these genres before. His sound feels as at home on the punchy cadence of “Grave Digger” as it does on the melancholia-soaked piano outro “Sinner in the Suburbs” – which not only candidly navigates grappling ones demons, but wraps up the album with the sort of impressive fervour which leaves the listener just begging for more.
Feature pic supplied by artist
