By Zachary Visconti
It’s easy to get so caught up in life that we forget to stop and take in our surroundings, and like waking up from a dream, we sometimes have to be reminded to leave behind what isn’t real while embracing what’s in front of us. On its latest record, Denver indie-psych trio Barbara has personified and distilled these reflective experiences into a highly relatable nine-track album, filled to the brim with lush textures, dynamic musical shifts, and emotive lyricism that calls listeners to take a look around once in a while.
Barbara is made up of guitarist-vocalist Camilla Vaitaitis, bassist Bridget Hartman, and drummer Anna Panella, the three of whom previously released the debut album, ‘Escape Artist.’
On Barbara’s sophomore effort, ‘SO THIS IS LIVING,’ the band puts its compositional jazz background on full display with meandering psych nostalgia, hypnotic delay- and reverb-laden hooks, and driving guitar parts offering a stark contrast to much of the record’s spaciousness. The addition of synthesizer from Vaitaitis, saxophone from Hartman, and trombone from Panella showcases the trio’s multi-instrumental skillset, while leading the audience into some of those deep, dark recesses of the mind and heart.
The album was recorded with Connor Birch of Flaural at Post Haus in Denver over a year, primarily in long weekend sessions spaced out every few months. Mixed by James Barone of Beach House notoriety and mastered by Chris Colbert, the album boasts a wide-ranging genre base filled with darkened textures, auxiliary percussion played by Raul Sanchez, and an unwavering dreaminess that floats from mysterious self-reflection to warm, sun-soaked daydreams.
“It was seriously a dream team and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” Vaitaitis shares.
In contrast to Barbara’s first full-length record ‘Escape Artist,’ which was recorded in a weekend at Camilla’s family cabin, the band says they were able to be more intentional about what went into ‘SO THIS IS LIVING,’ since the process was more spaced out. While the first record was drenched in a lightweight, airy psychedelia, ‘SO THIS IS LIVING’ turns its sights further inward with a pensive peeling back of the subconscious that begs the question, “what is all this?”
The album opens with “Burn Me,” a subdued, mesmerising nylon string ballad that blooms into a lush psychedelic liminal space, with Vaitaitis echoing the refrain, “No one is sincere, it’s only you in here.” “Tart Cherry” goes on to capture the influence of Brazilian music in the record’s creation, contributing to the sonically expansive feel of songs like title track “so this is living?” and instrumental “side effects.”
Lyrically, the release touches on themes surrounding anxiety, growing up, yearning to feel alive, parties, and dealing with unpleasant interpersonal experiences, among others. On the single “My Birthday Party,” Vaitaitis recalls a younger self celebrating her birthday, noting that, in hindsight, “my face in the frosting looks so alive.”
Tracks such as “Anyways” and “Bndryl” further explore the band’s guitar-forward sound, opening with sparse clean tones that devolve into rich, climactic arrangements backed by gritty, distorted guitars fit for a 90s grunge band.
Overall, Barbara’s second album delivers a thoughtful, mature, and refreshingly delicate take on modern psych rock, and one that calls all of us to balance mindfulness with experience as we consider what it means to be alive.
“Right before me, look at the sky, why’s it so high? Write my story, since I’m alive, might as well try. So this is living.”
