The shoe gaze revival looked like it was heading somewhere , but if we are going to be realistic , shoe gaze was pretty underground even at it's peak . The key for any genre to stay fresh is a diversity with in that. I can see where they could be compared to the likes of Nothing, these guys are less grungy, but a the same time heavier.For a shoe gazey band these Cali kids keep things at a pretty brisk pace and can pound the point home. The guitar sound is typically My Bloody Valentine worship and the vocals are buried under layers of effected buzz. "Impermanence" kicks into a similar driving though the bass takes to driving it through the wall of guitar sound himself. They accent certain parts with more power like a post-hardcore band might. It almost makes you claustrophobic as the walls of sound come closing in on you. When they slow it down and let it drift the dynamic shift works really well. They are far from say Russian Circles when it comes to adding a more metallic beef.
"No Paradise" takes on a darker heavier hitting tone as separates it self from the previous song that seemed to drift around with nothing to set it apart from what they have already done. Though it is pretty dense and has a pound to it. The vocals come out from behind the guitar a little when they give them more room to breath on "Apophenia" . It hits the loud to soft dynamic. They go into more of a 90s rock space, that bans like Hum and Failure used to float in. The end the album on an even heavier note, which they balance out with a swathe of spaced out guitar and laser feedback.
If you are a fan of the more modern wave of shoegaze or like post-rock with a denser edge then this album is worth your time. I'll give it a 8, as the vocals are barely there and sometimes the song gets lost in the swirl. While that is an element of the genre, I think it can be better balanced which keeps this album from being perfect, but it is still pretty damn good.
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