Pushing the shoegaze boat out far into the creative distance, sweetsoak immerse their sound in lashings of reverb for this latest release – presenting the melodic and rhythmic qualities of rock through a dreamlike wash of warmth and lightness.
The structure of the EP is fascinating, the band follow their own rules entirely. Where ghost love appears as if it might end a short way into the journey, it reignites and offers even more in the way of weight and distortion during the latter half. There’s a fine use of contrast that lets this effect work in the way that it does. This same quality lets certain guitar riffs shine brightly – most notably during the opening and closing moments.
Lyrically that vocal distance makes it close to impossible to take on the direct concept of the song with a mere single listen. Instead of needing that clear language to interpret the intention, you have to rely purely on the mood and the emotion of the recording itself. There’s a deeply artistic nature to the set-up – distinctive sections emerge, one after the other, and each one seems cleverly expressive of some new moment within the story.
When you listen at volume the whole thing really takes over the room. The distant vocal haunts you initially, but strangely comforts you later on. The final moments of the final song offer a slightly tribal feel, as if you’re being called and welcomed or initiated into the experience.
By the end of dizzy nodding dream, this feels like it’s been a much longer and more complex journey than a mere seven minute project tends to allow. The latter half of this track is stunning, the drum-work and the bending guitar line adds a sense of movement that’s uplifting and inspiring to have surround you. As suggested, there are one or two vibrant and memorable qualities to this release that really give it an identity. The structure is a huge part of that – never get complacent with the way one moment alone seems to sound or feel.
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