Shoegaze / Dream pop
RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, The Cure
Shoegaze, as a genre only got to hold its limelight for a short time in the early 90s before being swallowed up and transformed by the mainstream. Fortunately, Mexico’s own Car Crash Sisters were able to glean some of the more memorable sonic forays to riff off of on their new release Sundance Sea. The sum of eight tracks, the album is well composed, and remains true to the genre while letting the quartet’s flourishes shine through.
The band, consisting of Kique on guitars and vocals, Alma on guitar, Noel on drums and John on bass and synth, have been making music with their current line-up since 2015. This, their newest full-length since 2015 carries the aesthetic of their previous releases, while exploring new sonic territory. The lead track from the album “Some Kind of Regret” immediately conjures emotions of longing and regret. Paired with ringing guitars, and a deep set groove, the song sets up the rest of the album nicely.
As the record progresses, we get a touch of the pop sensibility from “Orange” and further on “Blackholeyday.” On both tracks, the vocal is drenched in reverb, but there is a sense of hopefulness, paired with the abrasive, swirling guitar. There is a bit of edge on the latter as well, flirting with the grit present on all the big rock records the early 90s alt-rock explosion.
Other songs like “Midnight” and album closer “Descension” take all of the precursive sonic stems and meld them into a full on sonic attack of brilliance. The crescendo of guitar on “Midnight” is monolithic, and when paired with the drum and bass sections on the latter part of the track, this listener is floored. Further, Kique’s vocals on “Descension” are strained, but work well with the harmonic backing vocals provided by Alma.
Ultimately, this is a slab of shoegaze-y goodness. There are some jams on the record, and some fantastic musicianship throughout. While there are some pop sensibilities throughout, this record airs more on the side of alternative, in a very brilliant way. Solid record.
