“Island” by Ezra Vancil: Finding Peace After the Storm
With “Island, ” single artist Ezra Vancil, who lives and works in Texas, evokes the bright side or the sunlit part of his very personal double album, Morning & Midnight. This piece was created in a relatively isolated East Texas cabin, and to me, it represents the still after the storm of Vancil’s emotional years, which is a rare glimpse of a peaceful life. This is Vancil's love story, unfolding through pain, reconciliation, and rediscovered love. This record represents a significant transformation in both Vancil’s music and his inner self, as it is a heartfelt Americana story with a nice, sparkling sound reminiscent of modern indie folk.
“Island” is the kind of work in which Ezra drops a warm and slightly rough voice singing over very gentle guitar tunes, which later, with the help of the whole band, goes into a very sumptuous sound. Besides this, Vancil’s daughter Cozi also sings in the song, and the love between them is what gives the track more life, energy, and emotion. According to mixer JP Ruggieri, this track is so cool that it's almost like a very private moment between the artist and the listeners, which has a certain grandeur.
“Island” explores the theme of a fresh start. It brings back the image of the family going on a beach vacation, and the moment when everything looked perfect, with people laughing, and the sun and sea air healing the past years of sorrow. “It’s the calm after the storm, ” Ezra states, and the sentence sums up not only the emotional content of the song but also its musical aspects. Ezra, in the lyrics, silently yet noticeably shows that he is grateful for the peace, which may be fleeting but still exists and should be celebrated.
“Island” on the one hand, both literally and metaphorically, stands for the Morning in the larger scope of the album's concept, Morning & Midnight, which represents the return of light after a period of darkness. The tragic events in “Babylove” were at the very core of Ezra’s life, his world falling apart, and a sense of giving up, but in “Island”, there is again hope to break through these dark clouds. Vancil, here, is not only a songwriter but a free person with clear insight into his past, and he pens now from a position of acceptance instead of sorrow, which he previously felt.
Vancil's style is one that is a derivative of both the rawness of Chris Whitley and the melodic, airy qualities of The Beach Boys, blending them into a sound that is an intermediate point between the earth and the sky, still bright and radiant, yet rooted in the world. “Island” is not just a musical composition, but the artist’s emotional instrument reset, the consciousness that after those tumultuous seas, calm can return, even if only for a short while.
Get In Touch With Ezra Vancil:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ezravancilmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ezravancil/
Twitter(X): https://x.com/ezravancil
Bandcamp: https://ezravancil.bandcamp.com
Website: https://ezravancil.com
