We’ve featured the various musical projects of Richmond, Virginia’s Danny Bozella several times, from his early work with Rem’s Floating Chandelier, to his releases as Chemists // 化学者 and more recently as Vivian Fantasy. Until now, all of Bozella’s output has been self-released, but his new EP, Deep. Honey., is being put out by Seattle label Hush Hush Records, a move which will hopefully bring his rich and psychedelic bedroom pop to a wider audience.
And this is not the only sign that Vivian Fantasy is ready to take the next step. Whereas previous releases were largely instrumental, Deep. Honey. sees Bozella add vocals to every track, expressing a newfound confidence in his own voice and creative abilities. This is clear from the opening title track, which retains the warm haze and kaleidoscopic vibe of previous releases, but has a new dimension with gentle vocals that quiver with restrained emotion.
Meanwhile, ‘Florist’ builds on a poignant guitar loop with effect laden vocals, conjuring a sound like that of a lovelorn late night answerphone message, while ‘Charms’ sounds woozy and romantic, twinkling synths held in place with gauzy atmospherics and Bozella’s breathy vocals.
Finale ‘Strawberry Moon’ first appeared on Serial Experiments Volume: Pink Witch , which we reviewed back in the spring. Back then we said, “The title alone conjures all the right images, gently fantastical and full of wonder, like childhood dreams that glimmer at the edge of reality. The sound too is evocative of a dreamscape, pastel-coloured swirls of haze hugging Bozella’s smooth vocals”, and this description holds up well. It’s the perfect end to a very pretty collection of songs, and leaves the door open for whatever Vivian Fantasy does next.
Today we have the pleasure of presenting Deep. Honey. in full, just ahead of release. Check it out in the player below.
You can get Deep. Honey. from the Hush Hush Records Bandcamp page. The cassette and download come with an exclusive remix by UK producers Athlete Whippet, so be sure to check that out.
