VANNGO – Soaked To The Soul (2025)
Exploring those gritty, provocative, more painful and less appealing side of reality, singer-songwriter VANNGO uses grit, gruffness and grunge to reflect resilience, self-discovery, emotional depth, and… well, life. Hailing from Los Angeles, VANNGO is an artist and entrepreneur with confidence, strength, and a multi-faceted persona expressed in his diverse music. Interestingly, this diversity was prompted by devastation – a sort of phoenix rising from the ashes. VANNGO was about to release his debut collection of work, then the LA fires hit and deeply impacted his world. From that moment of loss came his debut single, ‘We’ll Rise LA!’, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Following his well-received single ‘Hunger For Love’, VANNGO saunters through the realm of folk music with ‘Soaked To The Soul’. Unlike previous material that leaned toward the heavier side of Americana with ‘Hunger For Love’ having a kick of grunge peeping from the background, ‘Soaked To The Soul’ is a sparse, simplistic, barebones leaning toward indie-folk.
Self-recorded and produced, one can hear how VANNGO poured his heart and soul into ‘Soaked To The Soul’. It has the unfiltered rawness of being in the present but haunted by the past and encouraging a hopeful future. With the basic guitar and vocals arrangement, the melody has a minimalist attitude; however, the sincerity of ‘Soaked To The Soul’ makes its immersive quality kaleidoscopic.
One aspect I find intriguing about ‘Soaked To The Soul’ is its delicate exposition of raw human emotion, connection and spirit. Transcending studio recording and streaming through speakers, VANNGO brings the evocative “in the moment” performance to our ears. It is like listening to those stripped-back sessions by Kurt Cobain where you felt the pain, you heard the torment, and you knew it was a performance you’ll not forget.
Melodically, ‘Soaked To The Soul’ has the aura of someone or something tragic; a bare-bones expression of what the soul has to show. He explains:
“I wasn’t trying to write something redemptive. This one came from that space between grief and clarity. The part no one wants to talk about. The part you live through alone… Soaked in emotion, it tells the story of hitting bottom, facing the storm, and choosing to rise with soul intact.”
Find out more about VANNGO on his official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more indie-folk music on The Other Side Reviews Indie Folk playlist:
