The album opens with a cacophony of layered sound, before dropping into a tense jangle that becomes "Hole in my Head". They have nailed the classic 90s sound of the genre, with some balls in the wall of fuzzed-out out bleary guitar that comes at you. The vocals are the kind of soft, whispered croon you now expect from this sort of thing that sits back into the guitars. The song moves well thanks to the ample bass line and pounding of the drums that do not hesitate, almost owing more to post-hardcore.
I feel pretty confident they are not just going to keep riding the sound as the first song had so many dynamic nuances to it. "Levitate" finds them leaning into the boozy My Bloody Valentine guitar tone as the drummer keeps things moving; they also have enough space for the vocals to haunt it, even though chords are crashing all around them. They are milking the song more than working on the song. "Bind" hits you with a more hammering barrage of shimmering sounds as the vocals find more purpose but still fall toward the back of the mix.
"Leaning On You" backs off, allowing the vocals more room to breathe, which complements their fragile delivery. The airy strum of the guitar could use the backbone of bass and drums. "Summer Skin" is a catchier, more balanced song that is not consumed by atmosphere. There is also more memorable songwriting applied to "Wallflower". If we are judging this by 90s standards, then what should pass as the chorus finds the vocals being buried by the guitar. Not an unexpected occurrence when it comes to this kind of music. The last song flows pretty well, which is all I am asking from this album; it works and is the kind of dreamy diversion you want from the genre so I will give it a 9.
pst5
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