Cape Cod-based artist Vanna Pacella makes a striking impression with her debut album Listen, a self-produced collection that explores love, loss, and self-discovery amidst an array of piano-led balladry, atmospheric rock, and soulful pop flourishes. Her songwriting radiates both vulnerability and strength, pairing heartfelt lyricism with dynamic arrangements that reveal an immersive, creative voice.
Following an enjoyably moody piano-driven opener, the album’s title track emerges with a more layered entrancement. Vibrant piano and steady percussion build with sophisticated allure into a “what’s the point of loving, just to watch it fade away?” vocal introspection. The vocals’ emergence also coincides with sharply effective guitar work, invoking a prog-rock fierceness in its heavy tonal pushes — appearing seamlessly amidst the dreamier piano-touched atmospherics. “What’s the use in screaming, if I don’t know what to say?” the heady lyricism continues on this standout track.
The ensuing “The Dark Side of the Light” is another powerful piece of songwriting, especially impactful as soulful vocal layers persevere to “get through this.” Stirring vocal layers and piano/guitar interplay also prove catching on “Wolf,” dazzling as well in its colorful synth incorporations prior to the four-minute mark. Album finale “The Less I Know” concludes the release with further captivation, rousing during a title-referencing momentum into breezy guitar jangles and harmonious “set me free, never let me go” vocal enthrallment. Listen is a melodic, well-produced showcase from Vanna Pacella.
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“The Less I Know” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
