Vague Lanes : "Divergence And Declaration"

 

For a duo, these dudes from San Francisco kick up a pretty large sound. An electronic pulse thumps under the single-note guitar melodies, all draped in a cloak of reverb to create a more cavernous club sound. Rather than work off the typical tension of post-punk they create more of a grooving throb when the album opens. This could keep a floor moving seamlessly on a local goth nite for sure.  The husky Baritone vocals stay true to the vibe of the genre without being a mimicry of Ian Curtis or Andrew Eldritch as so often occurs with these bands. This is their sophomore release so the songwriting is smoothed out and they have a clear vision of who they are. 

The vocals echo out from the night on "By Dusk" as the band takes on a more nuanced throb for the verses with this one, and gains momentum as they coast through the song. "Cellophane' highlights their strength which is to approach the sonic shadows of these ethereal guitar tones in a manner that approaches similar melodic points of reference from different angles. It is well done though does not hook me in as tightly as the first two songs. "Unraveling" finds them checking off genre boxes with the stiff German dance beat.  "Eight Winters' bears more of an atmospheric depressive lethargy that is not unlike the Cure's earlier work. This more shoegazing hypnotism continues on "Weight of Days' that follows it. The sardonic bleakness of the vocals makes me think of Interpol. 

"At the Edge" has a synth-driven underbelly that the guitars provide more of an ambient coating atop. There is a sense of movement, that is too opaque to be a groove that is the heartbeat of this song. My favorite thing about this album may be the dark moods it invokes which are displayed in the closing song that drifts in a similar level of downtrodden post-rock gloom spawned by the Cure.  The vocals are nowhere near as emotive as Robert Smith and are a hollow croon that haunts the background, but it works for what they are doing here. I'll give this one a 9, 2025 has not been a year ripe with new post-punk releases so this will be a welcome addition to fill that void. 

 

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