My first contact with Soup was somewhere in late 2020 towards early 2021, so it hasn’t been long since I’ve been following the band. I was really taken with Remedies, falling in love with the epic post rock passages and the sweet and easy-going delivery of the rest of the elements. Not long ago we got a follow up to Remedies, four years after it, in the form of Visions.
I didn’t know what exactly to expect from Visions, I was definitely expecting at the very least as much as I got on all levels from Remedies. Visions is, if you ask me, a massive step forward for the band, as it takes them into new areas from all points of view while also showing us a clear testament of how to refine your craft.
I want to first point out that I love how the band channels a little bit of Pink Floyd throughout Visions. It’s enough to make you think about Pink Floyd, but not enough to make you forget that you’re listening to Soup. What I really love though, is not just the subtlety of how this veiled homage is paid, but how well it blends with the entire framework of the tunes.
Soup departs a little from its alternative roots and goes head first further into the realm of crafting soundscapes and textures, with great success may I add. I’d be tempted to say it’s a more post-rock leaning direction, but the mix we witness also takes cues from progressive rock, noise rock, and shoegaze over the course of Visions.
Call it whatever you want, at the end of the day it’s a compelling mixture of adjacent and disparate elements which comes together in an organic manner, leaving the listener to revel in the high order of craftsmanship displayed in weaving sonic layers.
What really caught me off guard was the opener, “Burning Bridges”, which just slams us right in the face with fifteen minutes of cosmic travel. Around the seven-minute mark, in this track, you can find one of these flourishes which is not of this world and delivers an elevating, tender, and striking emotional charge. The synths, vocals, and guitars coalesce into a grand synergy of scintillating power which is simply disarming, to the point where it floored me entirely. I could listen to an album of just that. Speaking of which, the record could’ve been just the first song labeled as a new EP and I would’ve been content with that alone.
So, imagine that there’s more! Each song holds something special and they’re all filled with moments like the one described above. I won’t go at any length about those, and I’ll just let each of you to dive into the unrelenting and ethereal beauty which they hold. The overall wistful and pensive demeanor of the record is quite touching, especially when coupled with the rest of its qualities. It makes for an incredibly immersive journey which is sure to be rewarding to anyone going into it.
I’d also argue that there’s also a strongly cinematic hue, shrouding the entire musical discourse, allowing us to experience an additional dimension adjacent to the music with greater ease. It also catalyzes the immersiveness factor by a good deal. It all manages to create a sprawling and enchanting realm, in which it’s very easy to get lost and drift idly, forgetting oneself and your surroundings. It’s fucking magical.
I could go on and on about Visions being amazing and what not, but there’s only so many ways I can attempt to encompass things, which can’t be clearly nor appropriately cut with words. It would also sound redundant, so I’ll stop right about here, so you can go on to enjoy this unique and stirring piece of work.
