The Vanilla Smoke

Atlas Sound “Octoberland” Bradford Cox was once so prolific that I assumed he’d always be that way, along the lines of Robert Pollard. The type of musician whose output was so constant and overwhelming you’d inevitably lose track and get behind at some point. But no. He started slowing down over the course of the 2010s, and basically disappeared after Deerhunter finished touring for their eighth album in 2019. I have missed him so much. “Octoberland” is Cox’s first officially released song in the 2020s. It’s a very low-key reintroduction. It’s a slow and meditative piece built around a keyboard part that sounds very Broadcast to me, and knowing his taste I am pretty sure he’d be flattered by that comparison. Cox’s lyrics suggest some sort of grim, occult scene set in the distant past, but he flips expections midway through the song when he sings “nightflight over Cleveland tonight.” It’s a reveal, I suppose, but I’m not exactly sure of what. But it’s a brilliant move that makes the…

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