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.

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Opening track ‘Strawberry Moon’ is the perfect introduction for a number of reasons. 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. Vivian Fantasy enlists the help of fellow Virginia band The Snuggalos on the title track, another enchanted dream pop song, before ‘Where’s the Fantasy’ glitters like the cosmos twinkling above a 16-bit palm-lined seascape.

‘Are U Clean Yet?’ is a smash hit from an alternative dimension, dripping with a summertime late-night nostalgia, sounding like everyone’s favourite pop song playing at top volume in the club next door, while ‘You Were My Forest’ is a glitched-out heartfelt number, succeeded by an interlude of looped and distorted vocal samples and gauzy instrumentation, before closer ‘Surgeon is Death’ recalls acts such as Passion Pit with its emotive falsetto delivery and shimmering electronics.

If you choose to download the album (which you can do for nothing), you also get two bonus tracks which are well worth your time. Head to the Vivian Fantasy Bandcamp page to gets your hands on it!

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Vision in Furs continues in the same vein of chill, ambient electronics and hazy beats. Bozella uses a lush cacophony of synths, guitar loops and instrumental samples to create a swirling, slightly mysterious, sound. Some of it sounds like the It also has this faraway, nostalgic feel which I really like a lot. It sounds like dance music shot on slo-mo, soaked in euphoric reverb. If that’s not clear, the album covers and press shots are a pretty good visual summary. If you like your ambient music with a hint of hip hop, some smart electronics, all shot through with shimmering psychedelica, then this is an album for you.

You can get Vision in Furs on a pay-what-you-want basis over at Bandcamp.

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