Interloper by Zane Vickery

A sophomore album that exceeds expectations and opens up a new chapter for a promising indie rock artist.

Aug 17, 2024

Hi Pal,

Before we get into it, I’d like to welcome all the new subscribers. I got an early bird copy of the new album by Zane Vickery and that’s why we are here today. Release Date: 23rd August, 2024.

When you encounter their music, the season of an artist’s life is important in shaping your impressions about them and their art. The first project I heard from Zane Vickery was Where Is Your Faith: Volume One; an EP recorded before a tragic car accident, that nearly cost him his life. It was a short and impactful project that cemented the Greenville, SC artist in my mind as someone who thrives on exploring the deep and seemingly uncomfortable thoughts that plague the believer’s heart as we journey through life's imperfections.

Since the release of that EP in 2022, I have spent some time with his debut album Breezewood, which did a good job of exposing me to the depth of his understanding of the indie rock genre. On Interloper, we hear Vickery take great strides in improving his musicality and composition as he leans more heavily into some of the topics in Where Is Your Faith: Volume One, focusing on healing and finding the answers to help him move forward.

We open with the title track and I must confess that I spent a few days on this tune alone. For fans of progressive indie rock, this one will have you hooked with its infectious repeated riffs and robust bass grooves as the song slowly builds into a satisfying climax.

Zane Vickery’s vocal delivery is perfect for progressive rock in general because he has a mastery of his mid-high range and knows how to create a sense of tension and expectation. As the name suggests, it feels like Vickery is wrestling with a sense of not deserving what he has and at the same time, he doesn’t want to be abandoned. This dichotomy is captured with lines like;

…what would you have me do
If you bleed with me too
Don’t look at me
Don’t go away
Be not apart from me…

In ‘Whatever Light We Have’, we hear him pondering some of life’s questions as he reflects on finding a resolution between his life’s experiences and his faith. It’s a lyrically bold approach to songwriting with lines like;

…God
I’m waiting for the day
I’ll lock my outrage in a cage and throw the key away…

There’s a refreshing honesty on this tune that I believe we need a lot more of on the scene and I’m glad that he finds a way to capture some of these sentiments while still being reverent. Musically, by this point on my listening journey, I knew that Vickery had mastered how to convey pain and hurt succinctly. Even without considering the lyrics, the riffs and drums are reminiscent of some of my favourite emo rock tunes of the early 2000s.

Sombre tunes like ‘The Grateful & Grieving’ expand on the dichotomy of the title track — which is the theme of the album in a sense — as Vickery sings about “Eric”, the person who it would seem was responsible for the accident that crushed his leg. It’s a heartbreaking tune that shows Vickery wrestling with the pain and hurt that he has had to deal with all these months while recognizing the fact that Eric did not survive this encounter. He also speaks about the attempts of people to encourage him and how his personal experiences did not align with these words.

Well, people say the most confusing things
Like I was too good for God to take me
Well tell me, would you dare to dream my dreams
And feel the smoke and flames that wake me

It’s one of the best songs on the album from a pure songwriting standpoint and although it is full of pain and inner wrestling, it is very much a song of worship and ends on a very hopeful note, balancing thankfulness and suffering.

‘Demimonde’ is one of my favourites on the album. It is an easy-going chill indie rock tune with light strums, smooth guitar licks, warm keys and steady drums. Juxtaposing the song title with the lyrics, it is clear to see a continuation of some of the themes of dichotomy that permeate the entire album. ‘Greenhouse’ brings a much-needed relaxing feel to the listening experience, while still dealing with some heavy themes.

‘Mockingbird’ is a song about change, forgiveness and freedom. It feels like a spiritual and musical successor to ‘Greenhouse’ with the seamless way the latter flows into it. It also has the best acoustic strums on the album — a subtle thing you’ll catch if you listen deeply with good headphones — and an anthemic chorus, especially the way Vickery sings it the second time. I had shivers!

On ‘Honest’, he explores his strained relationship with his father and the ways that affected pivotal moments in his life. It’s tied with ‘The Grateful & Grieving’ as the most emotionally vulnerable moments on the album.

‘The Best You Could’ acts as a B-side to its predecessor lyrically, and while the former focuses on raw pain and hurt; this one is reflective and points to forgiveness. In my listening experience, it also seems to draw a line in the sand as it brings the first part of this album to a close.

‘weighted’ is a punchy tune with strong heartland rock sensibilities. It breathes new life to the album both musically and lyrically as it is a cry for hope as Vickery sings;

…I’ve been so disappointed before
Need a return, need to relearn
That I’m sure that it’s all worth the weight…

I love the subtle play on words and the way he subverts our expectations by replacing the word “wait” with “weight”. It’s a small thing, but it brings so much to the song and a vibrancy to the lyrics that I enjoy.

‘Sad Dads Club’ is a typical synth-infused indie rock tune that hits all the right spots for fans of this sound. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album, but Zane Vickery makes sure we remember it with a killer display of his high register in the chorus. ‘Y.D.W.M.A’ is straight-up, undiluted alternative rock goodness with chunky riffs, hard-hitting drums — especially that snare — and the right amount of emo. I love the backing vocals from Candace Hughes and the entire composition makes this a unique standout on the album.

‘Big Things Coming’ is another personal favourite. It has a sinister riff that sounds more malicious than sad — I love those — and a generally eerie atmosphere that gets me. I also love how it’s a vocal affirmation of a positive future, irrespective of seemingly sour circumstances, as Vickery sings, “…I got big things coming, yeah I’m doing fine…” Interestingly, ‘Breathe & Affirm’ carries on the spirit of the previous tune using a completely different musical palette. While the former is punchy and dark, this one is bright and energetic. I think of them as a pair because they go well together.

‘The Gallery’ is a soothing piano-driven tune, a rarity on this album. It’s essentially a ballad and shows a different side to Vickery’s songwriting that I found refreshing. It’s also a song of surrender with picturesque lyricism:

…Take what’s beautiful
Make it beautiful
However you can, help it grow
See it beautiful
Keep it beautiful
However you can, help me know
That it’s still beautiful
Thought I forgot it though
I really ought to know by now
That you still care…

‘Hydrangea’ is the first single I heard off this album and the exact moment I knew I was in for something special. Months after my first listen, it still stands out on the album. It helps that it is essentially a love song, and I believe Christians should sing more love songs as it is such a pivotal part of the human experience.

‘Hymn For The Heavy & Hopeful’ and ‘Michael Thomas’ bring this album to a close. The first draws a curtain on the central themes of this body of work calling back to some of the instrumental and lyrical beats that have been explored and giving them a fresh twist. The final track is a short solo rendition of the popular song, I’ve Got My Mind Made Up (And I Won’t Turn Back). It’s a cool, almost anti-climatic end, but it works in the context of the album and its focus on contrasts and finding balance and peace.

Interloper is a colossal album. It’s a 17-track journey that is a little over 73 minutes long and a testament to the songwriting prowess of Zane Vickery and the production chops of Jay Arrington is that it doesn’t feel like a drag. For all albums, particularly the ones with a stacked tracklist, song arrangement plays a major role in the listening experience and I think this is one of the areas where they completely aced this record.

I think this is a masterpiece. In some ways, it is a complex album with many interwoven pieces that unfold the more you listen with hidden gems and connecting themes which speak to a thorough creative process that explores some deep subjects. In other ways, it is a simple album about forgiveness, hope and understanding the place of suffering as we find the strength to move on. As I’ve said through this review, it is an album of dichotomies and that’s why I love it.

Genre(s): Indie Rock, Emo, Progressive Rock

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That’s it for today.

Catch you soon!

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