Record Review - Tiny Vipers: Life on Earth

(Sub Pop)

Tiny Vipers’ sole songstress, Jesy Fortino, has a voice so strong and captivating it softens her existential quandaries, but resolves nothing. Life on Earth takes a heavy-duty trip into candle-lit depression via songs more concerned with asking questions than providing answers. In “Time Takes,” Fortino muses “am I crazy for feeling this way?” while strumming into a void of loneliness amid booming layers of texture. “Dreamer” climaxes with a slow, rhythmic gallop filled with dark intonations and a plea: “I’m dying for a way out.” But as each song bleeds into the next, there’s no sanctuary. The 10-minute title track is an ominous testament affirming that the only way out of hell is to tread right through it, and it’s a long, dreary ride indeed. 3 stars out of 5