We’re excited to share that The Vlade’s latest album “It Could Be Better” has been featured in French publication Iggy Magazine.
👉 Read the original review here:
https://www.iggymagazine.com/the-vlade-lhonnetete-brute-au-coeur-du-chaos-avec-lalbum-it-could-be-better/
English Translation & Summary of the Review
The Vlade: Raw Honesty at the Heart of Chaos with the Album “It Could Be Better”
After decades spent shaping the collective imagination as an award-winning caricaturist and designer for the renowned Reader’s Digest, the Canadian-Bulgarian artist The Vlade now sets aside the pen for the guitar with rare ambition. His new album, It Could Be Better, stands as a cinematic fresco where rugged hard rock meets disarmingly intimate ballads. The artist doesn’t simply sing; he projects powerful imagery across fourteen tracks that form a cohesive emotional journey, driven by a sincerity that has become all too rare in today’s musical landscape.
Based in Vancouver, The Vlade injects into this project a resilience forged through experience, building on the national success of his 2023 single “Coming Home.” His instinct as a visual storyteller shines through in every lyric, addressing themes of freedom, friendship, and the quiet victories of everyday life with surgical precision. This is a work aimed at those who have “lived a little,” finding a melancholic beauty in life’s hardships without ever giving in to the surrounding cynicism.
The album particularly stands out for its organic diversity. We discover “How Can You Sleep,” a track charged with emotional tension that is impossible to ignore, followed by the melodic vulnerability of “Falling for You.” In moments of doubt, the anthem “I’m Still Here” emerges as a rallying cry—just as powerful in the intimacy of headphones at 2 a.m. as it is through massive stadium speakers at full intensity.
The title track, “It Could Be Better,” perfectly encapsulates the artist’s philosophy: it does not pretend that everything is fine, but firmly refuses to give up. Balancing energetic rock with introspective folk, this album stands as the testimony of a man who still believes things can improve. An essential record, built to last, proving that the best stories are those told from the heart.
