Pittsburgh collective ERRO released “Shadowland” on November 28th, their follow-up to 2019’s Strawberry Moon. Led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Nikki Stagel, the group’s been building a reputation for recording everything in one take with minimal tech interference. That debut got praised by EARMILK for its “tactile warmth, like vinyls spun in a sun-drenched room,” and Pitch Perfect called it “grounded in tradition and forward-thinking.” ERRO started in 2019 as an outlet for Stagel’s songwriting and guitar work, but it’s grown into a full collaborative project.
“Shadowland” was recorded at Stagel’s home studio and Very Tight Recordings in Pittsburgh, with Stagel handling production, writing, vocals, guitar, piano, strings, and horns. Michael Gerver contributed production, strings, horns, bass, piano, and percussion, with vocal harmonies from TK Mundok, Aparna Nair, Missy Chretien, and Sean Suza. Alex Shipley played bass, Nathan Bodnar handled drums and percussion, and Matt Very mixed and mastered the album. The one-take approach means what you hear is what happened in the room, no punch-ins or digital editing.
We start off with the title track “Shadowland”. It’s a dream pop song with a great atmosphere, and the band has great chemistry, which is very apparent. This chemistry is very much needed, as they record in one take, so the energy is very tangibly unique. Most songs produced these days are edited and spliced together.
“Honey Bear Lane” has a funky vibe going, and the bassline is very addictive. The rhythm section includes horns as well, so the foundation is quite different from the first song, but it’s just as good and continues the tradition of genre-bending songwriting that the band has upheld in their journey so far.
This tradition continues throughout the album. Next, we get “The Watcher” with a gorgeous electric piano intro and a simple rock backbeat to support the anthemic delivery of the vocals. “JMS” takes us to a more mellow territory with John Mayer-esque guitar solos and melodies. At this rate, we’re getting a new genre every song, but to address a concern about these kinds of jumps, there is a cohesion to the entire thing. It doesn’t feel jarring to go from one song to the next, and I think that’s because it’s the same people playing one take every time, so it feels the same because the group’s chemistry and their interactions with one another remain constant throughout the album.
Another song worth highlighting is “Words About Life” with a slow tempo and warm acoustic guitars, and a classic pop string arrangement. It’s the perfect bed for the band’s best lyrics on the album. It tells the story of the protagonist going through existential crises and moral dilemmas, and various philosophical questions, but it’s packaged in a concise lyrical way without feeling too wordy. This vibe shift continues and bleeds into the next song, “The Hollow”. Though this song definitely has more energy, it feels like the middle of the road in a gradient between the previous song and the next song.
ERRO ends the album the same way they started it. “Over Me” is a return to the dream pop sound with lots of floating textures supporting the main harmony and vocals. This is a really unique mix of acoustic guitars and arpeggiated synthesizer lines that really makes the song tonally unique, and the ebb and flow of those layers alongside verses and choruses is really well executed. The final section of this song is a surreal instrumental piece that fades out into a psychedelia-induced nod to the ending of the title track.
The one-take recording method gives Shadowland a live feel that’s rare in modern production. Stagel’s made it clear the goal is to prove popular music can still be created organically, and the album backs that up. The genre jumps work because the core group stays consistent, and that chemistry holds everything together. For a sophomore album, this shows growth without losing what made the debut compelling. ERRO‘s carved out a sound that feels both familiar and distinct, and Shadowland pushes that further.
