Hailing from Stockton, California, and recording under the name Craft Spells, Justin Vallesteros has crafted an album reminiscent of 80s synth-pop bands like Joy Division. Both dreamy and occasionally dancey, it finds a great groove and sticks with it, mining the territory that current bands like Wild Nothing and The Radio Dept. adeptly explore. There’s hints at the afro-beat rhythms and guitar work Vampire Weekend made their mark with, such as on this track “Party Talk.” As a whole, Idle Labor flows quite nicely, with a great flushed out sound rarely heard on solo projects like this. It’s lo-fi bedroom recording taken took the next level, and Vallesteros shows a ton of promise.
CRAFT SPELLS/PARTY TALK
