Every so
often, Chad VanGaalen emerges from his bunker in Calgary with a batch of songs,
giving us a window into the private world of this reclusive and enigmatic
songwriter. With Diaper Island, VanGaalen distills his approach, producing his
most sonically cohesive album to date, and the closest thing he has done to a
rock album.

While
VanGaalen’s three previous records were made in a cramped basement studio, a
move to a larger recording room offered space to develop and refine his sound.
Fresh from producing Women’s critically lauded Public Strain, VanGaalen decided
to avoid the comfort of working on previous ground, and apply some of the
recording techniques and sonic ideas that emerged from those sessions. For the
first time, multi-tracked and often overdriven guitar is the instrument at the
centre of the songs, which are often spartan and free of the melodic details
that embellished previous albums. With this focus on guitar, combined with a
beloved vintage tape machine determining the sound, VanGaalen moved towards a
leaner, no-frills approach – one that more closely resembles the music that
influenced him as a teenager, while continuing the arc laid out in his previous
work.

The paradox
of trying to assert control in a climate of helplessness winds through the
album, whether in the existential pondering on life and death that often
pervades VanGaalen’s songs (“Do Not Fear,” “Replace Me”), or in the conflict
between control and creativity (“Freedom for a Policeman,” “No Panic, No
Heat”). At the album’s heart is “Sara,” a simple and celebratory paean that
gorgeously praises the ability of VanGaalen’s partner and muse to nurture his
creativity in the face of this uncertainty, and captures the songwriter at his
most sincere and powerful.

At this point
Chad VanGaalen may perhaps be better known for his illustrative rather than his
musical output. As was the case with all of his previous albums, VanGaalen has
illustrated all of the art for Diaper Island himself. He’s also in the midst of
animating a music video as well. His past videos have been collectively viewed
well over a million times on youtube. He’s also animated music videos for folks
like J Mascis, Guster, and Holy Fuck.

VanGaalen
has been quietly building a catalogue of songs, illustrations, and animations
that invite listeners to gently explore his distinctive creativity. Diaper
Island extends the adventure into deeper territory, tapping into VanGaalen’s
lifeblood and mining the richness of his mind with sharper tools.