Crank Your AC and Cruise Around to LASTVIOLETS “Half Past Noon” All Summer Long

Graphic by Cate Banks

By Karenna Umscheid

With soft vocals and folksy fun instrumentation, the latest LASTVIOLETS single is a stunning summer track, perfect to listen to while cruising around in my Honda Accord with the windows down. Released this past  Friday, June 16, “Half Past Noon” illustrates a tender post-breakup yearning filled with unanswered questions that the solitude of summer often invites. Lovers of anything and everything indie, alt, and reverb will adore the music of LASTVIOLETS, with honest lyricism and incredible production that serves their sound just right. 

LASTVIOLETS is the Emersonian musical project of Vincent Paz and Evan Taylor, who also makes music under the name Texas Critter). The duo has performed at various on-campus shows and released their first EP, Taking Your Lead, last summer. In their newest single, Paz’s smooth voice glides over the guitar strumming in the background, and is energized by the percussion underneath, singing of a past lover and the lingering questions that she carries. 

Paz sings about longing after loss, the lyrics “I left my heart outside of your place / And it’s all yours to take” are layered underneath the diverse, upbeat production, crafting a tune perfect for some summertime sadness. I find this LASTVIOLETS track reminiscent of the band Her’s, with tender lyricism combined with inventive and fresh production, an absolutely beautiful and unique sound. And at the risk of sounding cheesy, the sound of “Half Past Noon” is paired perfectly with a car, a pair of sunglasses, the AC cranked high, and a blue-hued sky to drive off into. 

“Half Past Noon” is now available on all streaming platforms.