Tag: shoegaze

Fotoform Share Grief is a Garden

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This Fotoform tune has been kicking about for a few days, but as I was on vacation, I’m just now able to guide you towards the comfort you’re seeking. For my two cents, the song’s draw is the perfect dynamic balance between the angelic tones of singer Kim House and the ambient waves of noise that billow through the background of the song; it creates this cavernous structure, with House as your guide, leading you towards your own solace. Yet, like the thematic essence of grief, growing and budding, the song, too, offers something entirely new when you hit the 2:34 minute mark, channeling a darker sentiment. It’s harrowing in its nature, only to blossom and bloom at the end, recapturing the perfect shimmer for a brief moment before slinking back into the dark. Their new album Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom) drops on April 18th.

Moon Cowboy Shares Baby Jane

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You’ll notice the tendencies of modern shoegaze the instant you press play on the new single from Portugal’s Moon Cowboy; you get a wash of distortion and feedback reverberating around a melodic core. For me, it’s the entrance of the vocals that really cemented my infatuation, bringing in this gentleness that perhaps works in contrast to the genre’s expectations; it reminds me of my wife trying to soothe the heavy emotions of one of our children, calming and loving all at once. For some reason, it sort of feels like Galaxy 500 if they had dipped their toes in the dream pop world, so I reckon you’re going to love it.

Stream A Bad Dream in a Raging Sea

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The last several years, the mysterious Waves of Dread have teased us with single after single, walking that line between dream pop and shoegaze, consistently creating these tunes that wash over us with emotion. And now, we’ve finally got the debut LP from the group, fulfilling all the promise they’ve left us with through the years. Just take a listen to the opening tune; it opens with this trickling bit of pop, careful not to show its cards…and then it drops in and hits you with a wave of dread (see what I did there!). Throughout the entirety of A Bad Dream in a Raging Sea, you’re confronted with your own tastes and opinions…would you like them to sink into the melody or would you like them to step on the pedals? Either way, we all win; stream the LP below!

New Single from Waves of Dread

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I’m always down to get behind a Waves of Dread single, so here we are with the band’s latest tune, “Forevermore.” Honestly, when this song opened, I immediately jumped to the JaMC comparison, but that didn’t last long, as the vocal entry marks an adjacent touch. There, the calmed cool feels a bit like classic Pains of Being Pure at Heart, albeit through the lens of a heavier wash of guitars in the distance. Even with those nods, the band manages to turn a chorus into something entirely their own, which is a great marker for the band’s songwriting; they can bring you nostalgia and familiarity, then churn it into something that feels completely fresh. I’m sure we’ll hear more soon!

Belinda May Share Sparkling Pop Tune

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Japanese shoegaze band Belinda May pop up from time to time on these pages, and I’m always glad to share their sound. I mean, its hard not to get excited by the jangling guitar licks that wrap up the melody in this nice delicious package to deliver into your ears. The whole Covid situation impacted their trajectory, as they were riding high on the release of “Beautiful Days,” but now with new singer Harada in tow, the band seem even better. The snappy drums catch the beat and ride those sunny moments to a hook-laden result that’s going to be rewarding the minute you turn it up. This new track appears on a 7″ for Fastcut Records.

American Levitation Co Shares Shine

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I sit here hopefully thinking that this new Swedish band of rockers are giving Austin’s Levitation a nice little nod with their band name, American Levitation Co. But, my digression aside, the group are pulling on their JaMC shirts and dropping a stomping bit of fuzzed out rock n’ roll. One listen through and you’ll be greeted by that thumping beat and squall of guitars, all of it tied together by this gooey melodic vocal work that drives home the pop sentiment. I love its familiarity, and am interested in hearing if they can move into making the sound fully their own as they go forward.

Waves Crashing Drop The Viewing EP

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Already hung out in Olympia earlier this week, so why not set ourselves up with another great Olympian band, Waves Crashing. Today, the band drop their fresh The Viewing EP, which is an essential collection for those into the modern shoegaze sounds. They play with dissonant noise swirling in the background, then tie it to the melody that runs through each track’s central; it reminds me a lot of Austin’s Blushing, albeit with a male vocal. Standout tune “Life on Display” has this thumping rhythm, almost bouncing through your speakers. I love how the group also seem tied to the Pacific Northwest sounds of the late 90s, particularly when you hear a song like “Voices” that carry a bit of charming softness. Give it a listen, and if you buy it through bandcamp, you get gifted a bonus track!

Cosmopaark Unleash New Single

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After blowing up with a couple of rad EPs, Bordeaux’s Cosmopaark are about to take it one step further by releasing their debut LP, And I Can’t Breathe Enough. Their latest single to tease you drops in almost immediately, delivering a punishing wall of screaming noise; I love that it still feels fairly lo-fi, and not overly produced to turn it into some sort of heavy-goth-wash. When the noise is halted, there’s a delectable melodic treat hanging in the verses, but they’re brief, so the explosive nature of the song erupts in your eardrums almost immediately after you take a long five count. This new album will hit on January 20th via Flippin’ Freaks and Howlin Banana Records.

New Jam From Gentle Heat

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My apologies for my lack of musical postings over the last few days/weeks though my pal Lankford has held down the fort as he usually does. I’m back today with this shoegazy as hell tune called “Closer II” from Chicago based indie legends Gentle Heat. For those familiar with the band, you may notice a slight change in the vocals with the addition of keyboardist and accompanying singer Sarah Clausen. I am loving how her vocals provide this sort of eerily harmonizing effect that sort of fades and melds into the fronting vocals of David Algrim. Be warned, the track may start a tad slow, but it certainly picks up.

Gentle Heat will release new album Sheer, featuring this new tune, on May 13th.

The Here Todays Drop April Single

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You ever wake up and you just know the day’s going to be a certain way? Well, I woke up today thinking we’d spend a lot of time in that sort of wistful Spring mode, looking towards a break from the mundane…so it’s great that there’s a new track from Finland’s The Here Todays. My favorite side of the group comes to the surface here, as one fuzzy guitar chugs away, like your little brother/sister jamming out in their room; you can hear it through the walls, but your drawn to something else. That something else, aside from the neon-lights of the vocals, it the other guitar exploding through the heavy walls like fireworks on a dark skyline. But, like fireworks, the song leaves you with that smoky haze, drifting, like your mind, across the night.

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