This Texas band has a 90's grunged out clanging to their guitar sound. The vocals float in the background with an androgynous croon, as the drummer kicks into their kick with the needed angst. They care about songwriting as dynamics work with the atmosphere, and while they certainly have this sound dialed in to capture the mood of the era, they still have something to say. Nothing is the closest shoe-gaze revival band that they share sonic space with. There is more energy and less depression here. The drummer at least listens to more punk than shoe-gaze.
The vocals have more purpose on the title track, as his voice reaches up into a higher register. The overall attack has more balls to it, though not metal. They capture a noisy ambiance as they bang their instruments about, though careful not to damage their effects pedals, Feed back squeals without being abrasive. They do flirt with an almost Deftones-like heaviness going into "Bardo", there are hooky little guitar accents to help them out. They are also skilled at balancing out when to rock out vs when to sit back in the ambiance. This also rivals early Smashing Pumpkins, as it's heavy but not metal.
"Elegy" is a shoe-gaze ballad focusing on drifting in the drone. There are soft to louder shimmering dynamics, so it's not dialed in. "Drift" is more spaced out. The first minute of the song lives up to the title. It sounds more like a riff they thought was a cool idea and never fleshed it out into an actual song. "Breath' finds the drums crashing back in to support the haze of guitar they are hiding the vocals within. The harder guitar kicking the chorus home wins me over. This song's dynamic range plays to the band's strengths.
They merge from the more opaque murk for " Spectre" where the vocals haunt the shoegazing wall of guitar they are trying to hypnotize you with. But it's not a scary haunting more of a nostalgic one. The producer learner from the 90s also adds some modern tricks to how the vocals fit in the mix. "ISO" brings down a weightier grunge stomp. The hushed vocals add a brighter air to the atmosphere. They sweep you away with the sound but remember they are writing a song. Breaking down into minimalist chord structures before building back up into the crash of distortion. There is a similar sonic theme to the last song that feels like a continuation of the theme established in the previous song. The vocals are more fragile in the manner they ease in. I will give this album a 9.5, it excels at dynamics and gives Shoe Gaze the balls it deserves. Out on Dias Records.
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