By Sara Guillen-Alvarado

The sun slips into my car through the open window as I drive down Love Lane. It’s a perfect temperature on a random July morning. I am 17, I am a soon-to-be high school senior, I have just been broken up with a week earlier, and I am listening to Lunar Vacation’s “Daytime”. It’s COVID summer, so I can only comfortably see probably four people. Well, make it three now, post-breakup. Things feel a little lonely, but being 17 makes things feel exciting. There is comfort in this drive. The stunning vocals of Gep Repasky provide a crisp, raw comfort. 

Repasky, Lunar Vacation’s lead vocalist, sounded just as remarkable live at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington earlier this month. Accompanied by the keyboard and other supporting sounds of Matteo DeLurgio, Lunar Vacation builds an all-encompassing ambience with incredible depth. Of course, this is further guided by the rhythmic percussion of Connor Dowd and highlighted by Maggie Geeslin and Ben Wulkan, guitarist and bassist, respectively. 

The moment the music began, I felt a ball of buzzing nostalgia in the pit of my stomach. This gnawing feeling is what the band aimed to entice with the creation of their newest album Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire. The opening track “Sick” highlights a lot of the anxieties felt by younger generations. From the climate anxiety to the criticism of urbanization/capitalism, the song captures what it’s like to feel like your future has already robbed you of your present. The band’s five members are high school pals that happen to make wonderful music together. By growing together through the formative years of high school and onward, the group accentuates each other’s sound, and it’s clear by their stage presence that they all find comfort in one another. It’s a uniquely beautiful thing to witness band members laughing together onstage. It’s a nod to their appreciation of not only each other’s art, but also each other’s existence. 

The pensive thread that runs through their latest record contrasts some of their earlier work. Their first EP release, Swell, has a younger and more California surf rock-esque feel to it. According to a 2016 interview with Born Loser, this EP was recorded in the kitchen/bedroom of a friend’s house. Artificial Flavors, another EP released just a year after, keeps at this innocent sunnier sound, with other-worldly motifs sprinkled in. For me, these records perfectly uphold the feeling of being at the edge of adulthood- feeling free but also a little nostalgic. Now, the more thoughtful and slightly existential theme in Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire resonates with me just as strongly. I turn to music often. Sometimes for comfort, sometimes for escape, sometimes for connection. Lunar Vacation, undoubtedly, has been critical to my last five years of growth. In an interview with Atwood Magazine earlier this year, the band told Marc Maleri that the goal for their latest release is for people “to not feel alone.” Mission accomplished. 

As I heard the beginning notes of “Swimming” at Showbox Sodo, I felt the tears swell (haha) up in my eyes. The vocals, strings, percussion, and keyboard fostered a rich sound. Purple, blue, and red lighting accentuated the intensity of seeing Lunar Vacation live. If you get the chance, go see them while they’re bopping around on tour. They sound even better live which is a splendid feat for a group with such entrancing vocals and diverse rhythms on their recordings.