AGES, the debut album from husband and wife duo, Volores, is a hauntingly beautiful, timeless and emotionally vulnerable release. Carried primarily by Shelby Maxwell’s soulful, emotive vocals and peppered with stunning harmonies, powerful bass and dreamy, simplistic guitar, the album serves as both a perfect introduction to the band (rounded out by Flogging Molly’s Nathen Maxwell on bass and Art Brown on drums) while also providing listeners with a cathartic, incredibly relatable release.
Spearheading the album is the opening track, “All That We Could Need”, which perfectly sets the tone for the moody, powerful songs to follow. Shelby’s vocals are timeless and captivating, emotional and inviting as she paints a vivd picture in lyrics like “Anger black as soot and coal / Never seems to fill the soul”. That’s not to say that every track on the album is dark or full of angst, though. One of the soaring high points is the title track, which arrives only three songs in. Gorgeous vocal harmonies take the lead on “Ages”, which tells a story of making it through difficult times in life. The lyrical imagery hits a high point on “A Proper Icarus”, which puts its own spin on the classic greek myth, meanwhile, songs like “Nothing New (In The Unknown)” and “Vindicated Kid” mark some of Shelby’s most powerful vocal performances on the album. Bringing the album to a stunning close are the final two songs, “Sulfur and Stone” and the stripped down “Glass”.
The thing that makes AGES a great listen is the fact that it clearly isn’t trying to be something that it isn’t. There are no gimmicks on this album. With each track carried by one guitar, bass, drums and powerful vocals, the album doesn’t find the band trying to fit any specific mold or conform to passing fads or sounds. Ultimately, this is what is going to make AGES withstand the test of time.