Local Review: calico — 11 Ladybug Lucky

calico
11 Ladybug Lucky
Self-Released
Street: 07.18.2025
Calico = Elliott Smith x Supertramp + The Cleaners From Venus

The four-piece indie group calico consists of Kylie France as guitarist and vocalist, Curtis Kaleb as saxophonist, Justus Brown as bassist and Vaughn Cook on drums. They formed around March 2024, and their sound can be best described as a fusion of indie, rock and jazz. Fans of Heatmiser and Elliott Smith’s solo work, wishing there was more appreciation for the saxophone on those records, will find a lot to enjoy about calico’s latest release, 11 Ladybug Lucky.

I think this is a record that is unequivocally Utahn. It’s fry sauce-flavored, Jello-levels of Utahn. It takes lyrics that are very dark at times and sweeps them under the rug of an innocent sonic quality. It smiles and tells you nothing is wrong while crossing its fingers behind its back. Its composition sounds incredibly odd and mesmerizing. 11 Ladybug Lucky is the sonic character of Utah culture at its core, in my opinion.

The album opens with a tame version of calico’s second single, “Held,” which we first heard last January. The single had a faster tempo and a hard-rock feel to it, whereas the version heard here sounds like a demented, off-kilter country-jazz track. (It’s a real country track, not the crap you hear on the radio. Real country died on 9/11 and Toby Keith killed it.) While I prefer this new approach to the composition of the song, the studio version of “Held” has much better guitar solo work. The guitar solo performed on the studio version is rather unfortunate, appearing written as much more technical than the player was capable of, and falls apart as the song fades out. Apart from this complaint, the new version is far better and is overall an excellent listen.

We also get a new version of calico’s first single, “Tomb,” which isn’t as different from its single version as “Held” is. The new version doesn’t sound as clean as the original, but it does sound more natural.

The single versions of these tracks were recorded with assistance from local indie duo Willow Street acting as producers. What’s nice about having different versions of these songs is we can hear what calico is capable of in a studio, versus the home-recording approach taken in 11 Ladybug Lucky. I prefer the instrumentation and composition on 11 Ladybug Lucky over the guitar solo work in “Held,” but unfortunately, a few cracks show in the home recording approach.

Now, these are all great songs — all the instrument work is very well done, albeit sloppy at times. The vocals are clear, cutting through the mix well through most of the record, and the lyrics are very well-written. The groove is insatiable — calico is 90% of the way to a 10/10 album, but unfortunately, it’s somewhat undercooked. If calico had spent more time in a studio environment or even spent that time working with the producers who assisted them on their singles, they’d have what is, in my opinion, one of the best local records of 2025.

From my understanding, calico’s upcoming release will be produced in a proper studio environment again. I anticipate that if they take their time with this next release and continue to hone in the already excellent sound heard on 11 Ladybug Lucky, they will have a perfect record, in my eyes. The blade that calico forged with this album is of excellent quality; it just needs to be sharpened. 11 Ladybug Lucky is available on all streaming platforms, and in physical form as CDs at calico shows (an experience I encourage you to see, as they are a great live band).

On a side note, while doing research for this review, I found out that there is a Beanie Baby named “Lucky” who is an 11-spotted ladybug. Her birthday is May 1, her favorite pastime (according to her poem) is the lottery, and she is available for purchase for as little as eight dollars. I don’t think this pertains in any way to the album, but it’s a funny coincidence. Maybe it’s an analogy for capitalism. —Ezra Smith

Read more album reviews by Ezra Smith:
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Local Review: Foxland — Silvering Days