Cum Laude

Judah Nagler's voice is an instrument, please remember that. The 24-year-old singer of The Velvet Teen, whose endless vocal range has earned him many a Jeff Buckley comparison in the past, makes this incredibly clear on their latest, and best, release, Cum Laude. The record is a sea change for The Velvet Teen, who restlessly kick through genre barriers and eagerly change their sound and style for each release. Their debut, Out of the Fierce Parade, was a deliberate and delicate mix of intricate indie-pop. Their follow-up, Elysium ditched the guitars all-together in favor of piano and a string section. While the guitars have made their glorious return for Cum Laude, their new sound is a unique and dirty mix of IDM electronics, frantic drumming and Nagler's soaring voice. Self-recorded over a period of winter months in an old Petaluma, CA vitamin factory, Cum Laude showcases the band's early pop-roots with a dark display of gritty distortion, shipwrecking these pop songs in a sea of filthy electronics. Cum Laude is a push-and-pull between sounds, genres, and ideas, in short, it's a beautiful struggle. It's also a record that you will not soon forget.