Off the strength of his breakthrough single, “So Damn Into You,” singer-songwriter Vlad Holiday found an opening where his darkly beautiful lo-fi indie-pop could occupy. With his debut album, My Favorite Drug, he’s making sure that space is expanded to the masses rather than a cult following. Born in Romania before making a name in NYC and finally settling in Nashville, it’s easy to imagine Vlad’s past helps inform him about his creative choices, whether it be in his varied music inspirations or his push to make each track stand out in their own right.

And as provocative of a title as My Favorite Drug is, his background as a constantly on-the-move artist defines his introspective songwriting, unafraid to venture into dark spaces with crushingly beautiful instrumentation.

Taking from the past and present

Being based in Nashville means there’s bound to be some bit of music history coursing through Vlad’s new releases, whether purposeful or not. “Downtown Baby” is at times soulful and other times dreamy, evoking a retro sound that’s nostalgic in execution yet hard to put a finger on due to how many inspirations are at play all at once. The drums, in particular, could have likely been stripped from an old-school recording, but feel at home with Vlad’s vocal style, crooning about a woman more comparable to an imaginary friend than a tangible person.

Working so closely alongside Cage The Elephant certainly paid off, considering “Closer” was co-written by frontman Matt Shultz, which shows in the radio-friendly melodies. That alone at first firmly places the song within the 21st century but strays further away from other elements, such as a roaring guitar and a sprawling structure, settling in a special pocket between time and genres. The same is true for “Don’t Even Try,” which strikes a combination between a languid guitar and electronic bursts of energy coinciding with sudden screams from the void.

Revealing reverb

In all 11 songs, Vlad holds onto a specific, reverb-inflicted style of singing that quickly distinguishes him from fellow contemporaries and collaborators. “This Was Always Gonna End” features spacey vocals fitting for a cloudy nightclub, representative of the period in the 20th century that Vlad draws from aesthetically. The production also backs up the vocals, swirling around and never taking away the attention from Vlad, who remains centerstage for the entirety of the album — even when singer Kacey Musgraves joins the spotlight on “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore.”

However, through the fog of the atmosphere he carefully creates on each track lies an apocalyptic message, where Vlad’s deterioration leads to self-destruction. True to the name of the album, side effects catch up in real-time, infecting the emotional space from which Vlad writes and the instruments that surround him. While such a feat requires a certain amount of self-awareness, it also exemplifies how lived-in these experiences are for him, bringing some reality to fantasies of his making.

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Cinematic presentation

Despite no music videos or visuals dropping for the album, at least not yet, it’s not hard to imagine the stories Vlad sings about in all their complicated, cinema-inspired grandeur. The rapidly expanding second half of “This Was Always Gonna End” reaches new heights beyond what could have been expected from hearing the first half, where every instrument floats up alongside the vocals in large part thanks to fuzzy filters. Similarly, “Long Long Gone” flourishes amid subtle synths populating the song’s sonic profile, giving the track a distinct identity.

Even when weighing in some early highlights among the first few tracks, Vlad saves the best for last. “Father Figure” digs deep into the woes of masculinity, slowly realizing the similarities between himself and his dad. At the same time, he laments about the passage of time as he pulls no stops on the production front, pulling out the red carpet through a piano at the opening for what becomes a climactic jazz/soft-rock fusion.

Without the knowledge that Vlad produced and wrote the entire album, the amount of personal endeavors that are recounted in vivid, cinematic detail makes it hard to deny how personal it must have been to work on My Favorite Drug from start to finish. Yet, for the number of times Vlad talks about tough subjects, the dark atmosphere never consumes him or clouds him to the point of losing sight of what he aims to achieve on each track, instead showing off his discipline as a musician.

“This record all revolves around my mental health journey,” he said. “There was no vision when I started it. I was just using writing for therapeutic reasons and never planned to write a full album. But as it started to formulate, it became clear to me that these songs should be one body of work. Writing the album helped me get through some incredibly intense times and saved me in a way. It’s definitely extremely personal and emotional for me.”

Words: David Sosa

Visit Vlad Holiday on his Instagram and website to stay updated on new releases and tickets to potential shows.