Album Review: Igor Laze

On an album imbued with rustic imagery that conjures sun-stained porches and the smell of rain, it’s not strange to think of Departure as an album full of emotional catharsis. Canadian based musician Igor Laze’s vocals slide across acoustic canvasses like honey dripping off a spoon – he has this soothing presence that beckons all things deep blue, warm, and beautiful. Behind the veil of simplicity, however, Igor Laze is reeling. There’s a pained longing while he draws out lines like ‘And I will never forget, You’ during the waning refrain of “Full Circle”. He does the same thing on “The Dream You Wished To Give”, stretching very simple statements like – “blood with tears…long way from home, I feel the world slipping away” across the record.

There’s nothing accidental about this sort of melancholic delivery spread across the album: Igor Laze is making a point of saying more with less, taking potent emotions and quietly tucking them into a plain white envelope for us to open and interpret. He’s as lucid as the stars twinkling in the dark, clear night, stripping down to his emotional core and daring us to make eye contact. In these times of uncertainty and desolation this album provides uninvited but deep feelings of introspection and soul-searching. Igor Laze hopes to love himself enough to overcome any obstacle. And if he could, he could iron out the edges of the dark clouds in his mind. Whether it’s dealing with love, relationships or life itself, Departure becomes a cleansing outlet for deep-seated emotions, but the overtones aren’t happy; for each condition there’s a drawback – be it self-doubt or fear – that keeps Igor Laze planted in a state of perpetual emotional turmoil. Even his silver linings are approached with caution, the tentative footsteps of a soul that thirsts for relief but hurts too deeply to trust a sip from the well.

Once the contextual framework of Departure is laid out, the pieces of this album begin to fall into place rapidly. There are songs such as “Right Back at You” and “Departure”, that tick of the catchy-rock-song checklist right out of the gate, but there are also songs such as “Paranoia” and “Reborn” that are darker and more subdued, focusing more on atmosphere and less on hooks. Having previously had four albums with the band Morre which later disbanded, Igor Laze now moves forward with his debut solo album, and you can’t help but notice how his experience shines here. The guitar arrangements blend with a whole array of drum patterns, alongside his embellished vocals which build up to grand finales on almost every track. Igor Laze pulls it off effortlessly, as if to show the world his good at what he does with his undeniable talent and creative skill. He has a way of waxing metaphorical lyrics about taking chances and steering into life’s messes while acknowledging that there’s no grand meaning to it all. There’s no prize at the finish line, only the journey. It’s the thought that brings him comfort through all these various trials and Igor Laze invites us to embrace it all on Departure.