A Strong Solo Start

Already established as a music industry giant, Louise Post embarks on her first solo journey, apart from her primary project, Veruca Salt, whose newest album was released nearly a decade ago. Post approaches her debut solo album with overwhelming confidence and a wealth of knowledge, making for one hell of a record. Sleepwalker, which debuted in early June, brings a liveliness that finds its way through many different soundscapes and genres throughout its 41-minute runtime, all of which work impeccably when played in succession.

Louise Post traverses the musical world with such ease, after spending three decades with her band Veruca Salt and learning every secret the industry has to offer. Now that Post is embarking on a musical journey of her own, she has a unique opportunity to show off and display that which she’s gotten so skillful at. It’s made apparent very quickly when listening to her new record that Post is fluent in many different genres and styles, as well as both vocal and instrumental techniques. Every aspect of this album is so consistently strong and well produced, yet the album keeps you on your toes for its entire duration.

After a raucous back-to-back intro to the album consisting of “Queen Of The Pirates” and “Guilty,” the mood very quickly shifts with “What About,” one of the singles to precede the album.  In an interview with Consequence Sound, Post says the song, “addresses loss and navigating the world without someone you thought you’d spend an eternity with.” This song and others like the stripped down “God I Know” are handled with such care and intimacy, but the heavier moments really rock and nothing is held back.

The elements that comprise the record are both familiar and nostalgic as well as new and entrancing. Songs like the opening track “Queen of the Pirates” and “Killer” present themselves with a fire that channels the likes of rock legends of the past. The riffs and licks strewn across these songs are so infectious and even the drums never hold back from grooving at the same intensity.

When this isn’t the case, Post utilizes newer synth-driven sounds and blends them with older, more recognizable elements on tracks like “Secrets” and “All These Years.” Every track is brimming with love and affection and the vocals give that away almost immediately. Every word is so clear and you never have to strain to understand the meaning of each track.

Post’s vocals are as versatile as the rest of the record and she harmonizes very sweetly with herself through both sultry and boisterous tones. If all of this variation wasn’t enough, Post doesn’t hold back when choosing interesting instrumentation as well, with sprinklings of trumpets and harps on “Secrets” and “God I Know,” ensuring that there is never a dull moment on any of the 11 tracks.