Burnt out on touring after The Stray Birds disbanded in 2008, Maya de Vitry has spent the last few years growing her creative community in Nashville focusing on intense, radical albums that have pushed the boundaries of her artistry. On Infinite, de Vitry’s new EP, she goes back to basics with a 5-song set of intimate acoustic songs arranged with her touring band in mind: Joel Timmons (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals), Hannah Delynn (vocals), and Ethan Jodziewicz (upright bass, fretless electric bass).
It’s that intimate understanding of the quintet’s strengths and chemistry that makes Infinite feel so much of a piece. de Vitry had already planned to record “Stacy, In Her Wedding Gown” but the rest of the songs unfolded slowly. That deliberateness leads to a 5-song set where every note is meaningful. Recorded live, de Vitry and her band sound organic and locked-in.
“Baby Elephants” stands out in particular, with de Vitry’s voice commanding attention. A meditation on strength and vulnerability, de Vitry links the maturation process of baby elephants to the ways in which we must rely on each other in order to stand on our own. The band creates negative space judiciously, emphasizing the push and pull we all need in our lives at times.
You can hear the give of them play to each other’s strengths (literally) at the end of “Are You Happy,” a delicate weave of instruments and voices as de Vitry et. al improvised the end. In spite of the song’s subject matter, Infinite is a postcard from a specific moment of a brilliant artist’s career, and a reminder to take joy in the moment while it lasts.