For You: Joe Vann's "Found In The Smoke"

“Found In The Smoke” is a quiet, reflective journey back to where it all began. A musical homecoming filled with nostalgia, longing, and emotional topics. Like a letter written to the past, Joe Vann’s solo debut tells the story of someone who left home and returned with stories to share.

“When I was young I used to walk around the dirt and make believe,” he sings in “Age”, setting the tone for an album that blends memory with melodies. Touching on themes of love, confession, and haunting reflections, the record is reminiscent of my favorite folk artists like Justin Vernon and Ben Howard, with heartfelt lyrics and intriguing acoustic guitar riffs leading the way.

The album begins with "For You." A song that’s mostly driven by synths and a pounding bass drum. The vocals fill every corner of your head with reverb, and the production is so crispy. The chorus immediately puts the emotional tones on display with the words “For you, I would throw myself into the fire, I would trade it all back.” This hits so heavy especially so early on, it really sets you up for the rest of the album moving forward.

Songs like "Shuffle Around" and "Can You Be Mine" are the first time we get to hear the beautiful folk like acoustic guitar that really fills up the album. The simple guitars, the wavy synths and the intimate vocals are all working together in the best way possible and provides a classic folk while keeping that modern vibe to it. Joe Vann is so good at making things interesting, and adding depth to his music. This solo record really puts that creativity on display and it's such a strong record top to bottom. The next song "Houseplants" takes a turn from the first few songs, and has a bit of a different feel. The drums are my favorite part of this track, they make you want to move and make the song feel much more energetic. There’s not a single time I’ve heard this song without air drummming the whole time haha. It’s a fun song and adds a good contrast to the project.

“Age” is next, and like I mentioned earlier, this is the entire album summed up in one song. Everything about this song is perfectly placed. There’s acoustic guitar, synths, a catchy drum groove and the vocals just suck you in and keep you there. It’s one of the standout tracks for me no doubt.

“My Apt” and “Actor” once again show the incredible versatility that Joe Vann is capable of. “My Apt” is lead by keys, a synth and vocals. Creating a spacious and almost dark feeling. “Actor” is mostly being lead by vocals and a guitar, with the exception of a subtle synth overhead in the chorus. These two tracks back to back really shine light on the depth within the album. You get a little last of everything when it comes to Joe Vann.

To close the album, I think the final four tracks really need to be talked about together. “Summer,” “Your Love,” Has To Go,” and “If You’re Here,” to me, are the best parts of this album all put together. There’s not one better than the other, and they all have such a distinct sound, that I could only credit to Joe Vann’s lengthy career in all different corners of music. Something about these last four tracks feels so solid, and put together. Everything works in harmony together and no instrument is playing over another, it just works. It’s such a perfect blend of everything I love about Joe Vann and his music. It’s one of my favorites of all time, and I think it deserves more recognition.

“Found In The Smoke” will always remind me of my first Father’s Day. I remember getting surprised with tickets, and driving three hours listening to nothing but “From Indian Lakes” and “Found In The Smoke” the entire way. It was in a little bar in Louisville, KY and it was full of pinball machines. We don’t have stuff like that where I’m from, so I remember thinking how cool the venue was and how awesome it was to see one of my favorite artists in such an intimate setting. The show was everything, and Joe sounds just like he does on the record! We met after the show, and I got a little poster off the wall for him to sign. This might have been the first time I really met one of my idols, and I’ll admit I was nervous. It was awesome though, and he was such a nice guy, taking time to talk to each fan that stopped by the merch table. I left the show with a much larger appreciation for his music and him as a person.

“Found In The Smoke” will always be a happy album for me. It will always remind me of that first Father’s Day, and the great time I had. I’ll never forget how cool Joe was and how much respect he had for his fans. It was one of my favorite shows to date and I can’t wait to catch him again soon!

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A Conversation With Joe Vann:

EH: This album feels more intimate than your earlier work with From Indian Lakes; What made you decide to do it solo?

JV: I’m part of a few different things so I don’t really think about what I’m doing until it’s done and I can separate myself enough to be an objective listener. Then I can sort of decide what it sounds like and what it feels like, which project it should be part of. These songs leaned into the sparse folk space and I just kind of went with it. The next record feels more intentional and that’s probably why it has more focus to me and maybe a little more grip on the sound.

EH: The chunk of the album is driven by acoustic guitar and your vocals, but every song has so many textures. Was this something you were going for initially?

JV: I was definitely trying to give it more depth from the start without over playing. I knew I wanted to keep it really simple but using one analog keyboard at most to give it that depth was a nice challenge but It kept it from getting to messy since at that point I wasn’t that capable of mixing anything more complicated. Mixing it myself was a big part of it.

EH: The guitar sound is so distinct on this album. What was the process for recording those tracks?

JV: I did most of this record on my not so nice old condenser mic I have had forever. It was all tracked in my NYC apartment. You can make any level of music once you have learned any equipment. Getting a nicer microphone definitely stepped up the next album though, but I like the separation in sound.

EH: Who/What were some of your inspirations going into the album? Any specifics?

JV: I just wanted to make something romantic, and lean into some classic styles that I hadn’t gotten to do much of playing in rock bands over the years. I have always loved belle and Sebastian, Jose Gonzalez and Sufjan and all that, but i think it was mostly inspired by the city and the combination of memories of the mountain life I grew up in. I was a little aimless with the direction since I didn’t really have a plan.

EH: There is a lot of moments on the record where you can hear talking, string noises, etc. Was this intentional or not? If so what made you keep it in?

JV: Sometimes I would track a guitar layer and maybe my wife would be around since I didn’t like asking her not to do whatever she wants in our apartment, and I had decided that I kind of liked the human aspect of the little background noise here and there. It is an easy way to make something feel really personal and have a lot of depth. Sometimes my dog barks in the next record and it’s a great hook in one of the intro’s.

EH: Is there any song on the album that means the most to you?

JV: I don't know about meaning, but I like “has to go” a lot. I also really love the way “summer” turned out. When I hear it I think the energy and vibe are really special and different which is nice.

EH: The music videos for these songs are very fun, and seem to really capture what home is for you. Do you have a favorite one?

JV: The video’s were made once I had moved back to where I grew up in, so ya it’s very much just messing around in the mountains. I still love the idea and execution of “can you be mine”. It’s fun not to take things so seriously with this project. All of the videos for the albums have been focused on keeping things light.

EH: What does this album mean to you?

JV: It’s a nice timestamp on my life at the time. I haven’t gone back and listened to it much, but I’m glad that people like it. It feels like another life.

EH: You do a lot of covers for your fans on socials and have even dropped official covers in the past. Is there anything you’ve been covering lately?

JV: I have a patreon so I do covers every month that people vote on. I had never done any before the patreon so it’s been a good way to force me to stretch outside of my comfort zones. The last couple have been nirvana, death cab, Radiohead. I would never choose to learn those types of songs so it’s fun. I have a really devoted small following that have kept my career going through the ups and downs and im very grateful.

EH: If you only had one album you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?

JV: A lot come to mind, but if I have to choose one for now that is the most repeatable, maybe Blonde from Frank Ocean.

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 Thank You, Joe!

I hope everyone checks out this album

Go see Hard Chiller on tour now!

See ya next Monday