Vinyl LP pressing. What should an artist release into the world in a time of collective darkness? Niko Stathakopoulos of the Seattle, WA outfit Scarves, grappled with this question as he roamed his neighborhood during the heart of both the pandemic and the election cycle, penning the lyrics for what would for the group's 2022 record, Delicate Creatures. What initially was a dire batch of songs soon morphed into a vivid portrayal of the unlikely optimism that emerges within humankind as it buckles beneath the weight of the world. With each track, Scarves tells relatable, yet distorted anecdotes through a sheen of pop melodies and lush production, a taut thread of unease surfacing in each perfectly dissonant guitar line, in each melancholic turn of Stathakopoulos' voice. In the act of distilling the collective dread into the vibrant indie-rock chapters that make up Delicate Creatures, Scarves finds the optimism that we perhaps all need. By breaking open the prosaic moments in life-awful wine, obligatory haircuts, worn out T-shirts-Scarves honors the anxiety we all share, as well as our ability to keep pushing against the weight in even the smallest ways.
