A DAY IN VENICE - the band, not that one holiday- technically originated in 2002 under the moniker NARCOTIC LUXURIA and closed shop in 2004. The project reemerged in 2013 as A DAY IN VENICE. The project is the brainchild of Andrej Kralj and is based in Trieste, Italy. On April 20, 2020 Andrej released "Lights," a four-track EP. It is in no way a Metal album, but it made it to our editorial desk and we're a fairly open-minded lot, so here goes . . .

"Lights" is essentially an Indie Rock album reminiscent of the Alternative Soft Rock soup that was so prevalent in 1990s. Actually, that soup is probably still on order today, but that's not really my scene. Sounds like THE RENTALS without female harmonies or early NEW ORDER without the electronica. Listening to it makes we want to purchase an unnecessarily complex cup of coffee at a local coffee shop and ponder the use of pronouns in the world today. In fact, that's it exactly - Coffee Shop Indie Rock.

So, the question is: For what it is, how is it? And the answer is a solid "okay." Andrej is at his best when he plays to the up tempo and steers away from the melancholic. With that said, standout tracks are "Lights" and "Vintage Variation." He is at his worst when he slows the pace, overuses the echo chamber, and elongates his wispy, emotive droning. That would be "Vampires" and "Your People, Our People." The latter also commits the crime of getting way too socially whinny . . . and of using a keyboard that sounds like it was purchased at a church garage sale and sat out in the sun for way too long and had something really sticky spilled on it before it was dropped from a balcony. In fact, let's just say "Your People, Our People" is flat out awful, whereas "Vampires" is just annoying.

Final verdict: 50% of this album is listenable and even enjoyable if you're into acoustic, pop-ish Indie Soft Rock. The other half is just regrettable and sad. It might be a good EP to have around for when your grandparents visit, but for most metalheads "Lights" will be a hard pass.