Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp is Lunar Vacation's delightful debut

Earlier in the Lunar Vacation story, the band seemed to be leaning towards a semi-aggressive surf pop style, with strong, colourful instrumentals and an atmosphere full of synth sounds and more. The group – made up of vocalist Grace Repasky, guitarist Maggie Geeslin, synth connoisseur Matteo DeLurgio and Connor Dowd on drums – are hoping to produce smoother, more accommodating songs. In the past, they have been prone to "overcompensating arrangements with many intricate parts". This often led to final products that tried to do too much and overshadowed the touching lyricism that was on show. That's why it was vital for the songs on this album to "serve the songs themselves and not our individual parts", according to guitarist Geeslin.

The album starts with "Purple Dreams no.4", a palette cleanser from whatever else you have been listening to, or a stage-setter for the rest of the songs on the album; there's more than one way to see it. The smooth instrumentals of the song blend straight into "Peddler", and then we're off to the races.

"Mold" is a highlight on the record - the strings on that song are so very exciting. Notably reserved until the chorus begins, they crash in with all their electro-synth goodness and then recede into the distance again, almost as quickly they came. As she sings, "I don't wanna be without you in this life, or the next / is it too late for me to change my mind?" Repasky muses over the past relationships but is still grounded in the fact that life still has to move on.

"But Maybe" will have you floating on the clouds. The album closer lets you down so wonderfully gently that the warmth of the previous 12 songs still lingers around you. With music self-described as "dreamy pool rock", Lunar Vacation will have you wishing you could spend a little while longer in the beautifully put-together dream that is this record. Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp has pushed the bar high for the Atlanta-based collective, but before they will have to worry about topping it, they can be satisfied with what is a delightful debut album.