Album Review- Voxtrot- Dreamers in Exile

Voxtrot was a favorite band of mine from the early 2000s. The Texas-based band evolved from the same vein of the Smiths and Belle and Sebastian. Like some of the British bands of the prior decade (The Smiths, Suede, Cocteau Twins), they decided to release their music in a series of EPs. There's some fantastic music on these records, and those early songs of theirs finally got compiled in 2022. The band planned on recording their debut full length album with Stephen Street (Morrissey, Blur, The Cranberries), but that did not work out and so it ended up being produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Kirstie MacColl). The album did not receive the rave reviews that the early songs did. The expectations were surely too high in the days where Pitchfork and its ilk were looking to break the new big thing. As a fan of the band, I think it is safe to say the debut isn't good as the EP songs. That can be attributed to the album being less guitar fueled indie rock, and more wistful bedroom piano musings. But it also has some great moments, so dismissing it seems unfair, too. 

In 2010, three years after that debut the band broke up. I am only making assumptions but I assume that based on singer Ramesh Srivastava's public communication and the musical environment, that the rollercoaster ride had lost its appeal. 

I was excited to hear Voxtrot had reunited and planning music when they made the announcement in 2025, releasing their first song in years. Ramesh had released a solo album in 2014 but he had been largely out of the spotlight. I am super excited to hear the new album. It's great to see the band get a proper "next chapter" in their story. I imagine "Quiet Noise" is the sound that the band wanted on that 2007 album. It sounds like a potential radio single and an arena singalong, but it still sounds intimate and real. It is important to focus on how great Ramesh's voice sounds. It wasn't important in the early days, but it is a real strength. I am not an emo fan, but I can see where he might translate to that crowd. Certainly, it feels in line with something that might appeal to fans of The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie and indie bands of that ilk. 

The title track evokes a little bit of the Killers with its nostalgia for U2, Duran Duran and the Smiths. Srivastava no longer sounds like the bedroom depressive hiding behind jangle guitars. You may love the album or hate it, but he's not going down without a fight. "My Peace" even with its bright production recalls the driving hunger on those early Voxtrot songs. "The Times" is reminiscent of C86 or perhaps the literate rock of Lloyd Cole, but smooth enough it could have been a college rock single from way back. "Rock and Roll Jesus" is surely more of a glam emo stomper. Those songs stray a bit from the early songs that I fell in love with, but there are those moments here too like "Fighting Back". The band on Dreamers in Exile is one that has grown over the years. It is much more steeped in pop and emo sounds with way more polish. That said, I am glad to be on this journey with them and hope this is just the first of many more records.