The indie scene is having a bit of a post-pandemic revival right now. I could go on all day about the artists leading the way, but one of them appears to be Left Out. The just released their debut LP Learn to Walk, fresh off an appearance at BrewDog’s Annual General Mayhem Festival alongside acts like Alkaline Trio and Motherfolk.

The band have dropped a record that hitting me in all the right autumnal spots. I just finished drinking a hot cider at Parable Parable, a cool new spot in downtown Columbus, and “It’s Time to Think This Through” is serenading me. I feel an urge to really sit and take it in. It’s the sort of sound that might get passed over much of the time – but in certain moments, it really, really hits the spot.

I’m reminded a bit of the mellower side of Japanese Breakfast at times. Not quite the whimsicality of sci-fi love songs like “Machinist” but moreso pensive driving tunes like “Road Head.” The song “Old Lovers / Close” for some reason brings to mind Death Cab. It might be the subtle presence of rhodes on top an earthy, organic groove.

One of the best parts of the record is its unassuming nature. In this context, the emergence of certain elements just hit in a more poignant way. The extensive use of acoustic guitar to lead off songs sets this tone well. The resulting effect is that of a recording in a wide-open space. A prominent example of this that comes to mind is in the album closer “Uno.” The song blends a driving melody with an ever so slight element of whimsy, culminating in an effect that seems to shimmer all around the listener. The effect results in a feeling that’s simultaneously warm and forlorn. Cozy and pensive.

Perhaps the reason I identify with this album so much is that it touches on my default state. Pensive, with a bit of melancholy in the back of my mind, but not without an effort to find the beauty in it all.

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