Drowning us with distortion and a vague aggressiveness that seemingly comes out of nowhere in comparison to what we get in the rest of the record, this is the title track of On the Day That You Come To, the latest release from one Del Vertigo this spring. There’s not a lot of detail to this piece, and I would even go so far as to say that it’s one of the simpler compositions on the record, but there’s a notable caveat to that statement – this is also perhaps the only conventionally structured work here. Del Vertigo didn’t want to make a traditional rock record with On the Day That You Come To, but instead an awakening of a new sound that is his and his alone.
BANDCAMP: delvertigo.bandcamp.com/track/on-the-day-that-you-come-to
Each of these tracks feels like an individual project that was meant to have its own run of the record, and yet there’s a connection within the material that makes it feel perfect for sharing the same EP. One of the more striking numbers early on, “Theres a Glimmer in the Thicket,” sports instrumental foundations that might have been better served with a tighter master mix, but this wasn’t the point here; from what I can tell, Del Vertigo wants us to get lost in the thick mesh of noise in this song, if only to make the bit of clarity we find on the other side of “In Dreams” just that much more incredible to stumble into, when it comes around.
You can’t accuse Del Vertigo of selling out any ideals for the sake of a bigger audience in On the Day That You Come To, and nowhere is this made any clearer than in “Obsidian Hills” and “The Fall,” both of which have the bones and mechanics of more elaborate works, all things considered. This creator’s refusal to compromise in order to fit into a retro alternative rock box is what puts him so far apart from the competition in 2022, especially given the fact that everyone in his scene seems to be obsessed with working something old-fashioned into the concept of their music. That isn’t present here, but in its place, we instead find a desire to drive forward that I wish I heard a lot more of in contemporary pop and rock music today.
DEEZER: www.deezer.com/us/track/1687664657?autoplay=true
If this is just a preview of what the next chapter in Del Vertigo’s story has in store for us, then I would have to implore this singer, songwriter and producer to consider expanding on this piece for a full-length studio album in the near future. On the Day That You Come To has all the pieces that are required to set up a progressive effort – a story, a sonic sophistication that goes above and beyond the standard of any scene, and a vitality only possible through a soulful investment in the music medium. With a little more content, this could be an AOTY nominee, if not one of the best records most rock enthusiasts come across in 2022.
Clay Burton