album: Leaf Heap - Vireo
words: indigo baloch
As we bundle up for chilly mornings and silent winter nights, Vireo offers us a little warmth. It might be getting darker earlier each night, but “Leaf Heap” is the golden glow of street-lamps guiding you home. It’s been a minute since their last album, but it’s been so worth the wait for this sound of softness.
“Distance”, the first track, immediately sets you at ease—the feeling of looking up into a shower of crinkling fall leaves, swirling around you. It’s so unbelievably peaceful here, in the world that Chris Beaulieu offers us. The thing I love most about Vireo is how earthly and yet unearthly it is. It’s the whispers of the natural world, but a fantasy all the same. And the surging end of “Distance” will have every molecule of you shivering with excitement — waiting for the thrill of the unknown.
“Acorn Tree” starts off immediately cheery and playful—it’s the sound of spinning, skipping. It's like watching birds circling each other in the sky, it’s tenderness and lightness that fills you up and makes you feel hopeful. It’s the grin following a hearty bite into a homemade snickerdoodle. It’s leaping into a pile of leaves with your childhood dog, rolling around like beasts, and feeling free.
Alternatively, “Mud Feet” and “Uh-Oh”, are sleepy little songs like a purr, a lullaby. They’re the kind of songs you’ll want to save in your back pocket for the difficult days, the days when you need to ground yourself and breathe a little more deeply. They’ll soothe you into safety as they so effortlessly offer that little bit of tranquility we all seek in our lives.
“Bug Encouragement” is a little kiss on the cheek before diving into “Saplings Singing.” And “Saplings Singing” brings forth the natural quality of Vireo’s birdsong energy and again, that magical swell of sound. It’s a song of fluttering. It’s the orange and violet of the sky in the morning and evening. It feels delicate and ephemeral, wild and unbound.
“Throwin’ Skippers” brings in the bouncing beat of machinery, of building and becoming. It’s the comforting rattle and clink of busyness and shuffling. It’s a testament to Beaulieu’s mastery of sound and layering—something that’s incredible to see live if you have the chance. It’ll fill up your every atom, and leave you feeling transformed.
Aptly named, “Sky Night” is all the coziness of curling up in the grass and staring up at the stars in the cool blue of the darkness. It transports you there, it’s tangible. You can see the comets soaring above you and disappearing behind the thick, smoky clouds. And it blends into “Sleeping Outside” so sweetly and dreamily. We’re out here together, under the constellations, feeling the shiver of night air, but nestling deeper into our sleeping bags. We murmur little secrets to the night, to the crickets and bats. And if we’re really really still, maybe we can be a part of it all. Maybe we can become the dew in the morning and the rustle of the breeze. Maybe we can stay here a while.
“In Leelanau” wraps up the album with gentle night sounds and twinkling. It carries all the serenity of the last two tracks into a deep slumber. It lulls you to sleep and offers you sweet dreams. It’s like someone playing with your hair as you nod off, head in their lap. It wraps its arms around you with love and comfort as it whispers goodnight and goodbye. It’s time to rest now and feel peace—but know you can always come back when you need an escape.