A Massive Doom Rock And Shoegaze Release From FELT
If you haven't heard of FELT yet, then let me be among the first to introduce you, especially if you are into a sort of spacious blend of shoegaze, doom-rock, and more. This band puts out such atmospheres that you have no choice but to get swallowed up by them.
They go from expansive tonalities and layers of texture to heavy riffs and doom-rock blending into desert rock, and so much more. This is one of my favorite things about this band.
They are able to sort of bend their shape all the time while still holding tightly onto their roots.
Now, a lot of people will consider their new release to be shoegaze, simply because there is a sort of equal amount of elements that give you the heavier rock side along with the spacious and vast underbellies that classic shoegaze boasts.
However, I would argue that the band puts out their own thing that isn't exactly shoegaze, isn't exactly doom-rock, and isn't exactly alternative.
For me, their new record shines with the ability to branch out in different directions. They bring in the shoegaze, yes. They also bring in the progressive, hints of post-punk, dream rock, desert rock, and more. It's a huge, robust record that really has fewer boundaries than the rock you may be used to, but this is why I got addicted to the album.
So, the record is called Soil & Sky, and songs like "Here As I Am" give a perfect example of what I mean.
Although the song has all that dripping reverb all over it, it explodes into melodic distortion just after letting you settle into the dreamlike essence it gives off at the start.
This is a boisterous track and probably one of my favorites on the release, simply because it has this brilliant arrangement.
You have clean guitars that come in and give a sort of delay-like, dripping effect before it explodes into the heavier sections, which are also drenched in that reverb effect, giving a distant feel.
Although there are sort of experimental, trippy shoegaze elements to the song, the doom and heaviness are still there.
So, that blend is massive. The drummer also just pushes that boundary and gives an energy level that the rest of the band pushes off of as well.
The vocalist sort of belts out at times but also holds these beautiful notes out and adds a different layer and texture to the song that it wouldn't have otherwise. It sends the whole thing sort of spiraling and whirling around you.
Getting engulfed by this record is such a great experience.
"Miami Memory" brings out a cool sort of colorful pop brightness in there, which is a really great element to put into the mix because it lets the song come through catchy while still having all of the reverb on everything and giving you elements of heaviness as it breaks into melodically driving sections.
The whole record has a very unique sonic presence, and you get sort of addicted to that. Its actual aesthetic and soundscape is something that you can swim through, even though it gets sort of intense and heavy.
Even when it gets heavy, you still hear that depth.
As the album opens up more, you start to pick up on all the pop infusion that's actually there.
I love how they can bleed one genre into another all the time without losing course. How they can burst out with thriving, wild, rambunctious, bending guitars and come through with such a lush sound while still giving you something that has that color to it.
"Acolyte" has a darker feel. The guitars are clean to start with, but they are still edgy. They have that swimming, chorus-like effect, which helps the whole post-punk element shine more.
This record was a brilliantly heavy one. All the heavy sections are just gigantic, and the drums are stomping, all while the vocals wail.
The record is elegant and alternative all at once.
One of the better shoegaze records I've heard in a while, and a powerful one at that.
The songs give a closed-fisted approach but feel surrounding, moody, and at times, a little brooding.
What a great blend of just about everything.
Check out the full album so you can really take it all in. It's super worth it.
You can tell a lot of attention was paid to the tones of those guitars and the way the vocals are used as instruments themselves, which is also something that
makes the album immersive.
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