Icosandria - s/t

     Icosandria's self-titled is a sound I feel like I've been searching for for a while: a brilliant fusion of blackgaze, post-rock, and metalcore. Although, unlike most bands, Icosandria manages to do them all at once, with chugging guitars mixed with droning guitars drenched in reverb. The best example of this is their first track and 7 minute long epic Eternal Void of Amnesia, easily the highlight of the entire EP. The droning guitars, a la Slowdive, keep you entranced while mixing perfectly with the heavier guitars and blast beats. Near the middle there's a beautiful post-rock section, that then leads into a dreamy metalcore breakdown. There's even a nice little ambient piano section at the end of the song, with very pretty bells. Overall this is a perfect song, it keeps me engaged from start to finish with it's mature songwriting and arrangement and clever blend of styles.

    What is then a very funny case of stylistic whiplash, we go from the ambient ending of track 1 to the... drum and bass intro of track 2, Roshinu. To say this caught me off guard is an understatement, however, it does highlight the core strength of the album; this album does not get boring. No section overstays its welcome. This track also features metalgaze-y clean sung sections interchanging with reverberated deathcore (deathgaze is real) sections. There's so much to love here.

    Track 3, Ramifications, is another highlight from the EP. This track is a little special, as it takes a post-rock ambient style drenched in reverb rather than any form of metal. It's also the shortest track, clocking in at 3 minutes, however it's a personal favorite of mine. It transitions very nicely into track 4, Apricus, too. 

    Apricus keeps the strong songwriting going. The track has a beautiful mix of harsh and clean vocals, alluring, hypnotic interludes, and probably the best synth work in the whole EP. The 2nd half of the song is just as strong too, going from a soothing ambience to energetic blast beats with droning guitars, then returning to the sublime, harmonized chorus.

    This EP is a fantastic and creative blend of multiple, vastly differing styles into a coherent, enjoyable EP. It's really an underrated gem that I am very glad to have stumbled upon it. 

Support the artist here:

YouTube

Buy the EP on Bandcamp

 

Love // Paranoia - Hanashi

Blackgaze might be my favorite genre of all time, but even I can get tired of tuning in on an album I found while scrounging through Bandcamp and hearing yet another Deafheaven clone. I was a little scared that this album was going to be just that, since Love // Paranoia (no, not the Tame Impala song) wears their Deafheaven inspiration on their sleeve. However, I was very pleasantly as this album subverted my expectations and created their own little corner in the blackgaze sphere.

Like Deafheaven, Love // Paranoia is a very modern, urban take on blackgaze. Discarding the fantastical lyrics of predecessors like Alcest, instead choosing to focus on expression of raw emotion through a blackgaze / post-hardcore lens. As for lyrical themes, Love // Paranoia focuses on ... well love and paranoia. Specifically seemingly failed love, as heard in track 3 Where Sunlight Last Burned, a beautiful and poetic song about a failed relationship. The next track, 52 Hertz, is a drone-y mess dealing with vague mentions of suicide from loneliness. When I got to these two tracks, I really knew I found something special. It's not a happy album by any stretch of the imagination, much like how Sunbather is not a happy album, but then again are there really any happy blackgaze albums? 

If you are going to listen to this album for any reason, listen to it for the lyrics. That's where this album truly shines. Every single song is written carefully, showing true mastery over poetry that you won't even be able to understand anyways because of the screaming. Track 6, Bermuda, is also almost single-handedly worth checking out though if you don't want to sit through a whole album. It's everything great about this band rolled into one song - a beautiful post-rock intro into a blackgaze section to a shoegaze-y post-hardcore section. 

For what it is, Hanashi is a beautifully raw album. Balancing grounded lyrical themes of drugs, suicide and failed love with more poetic themes of moonlight, flowers and other such things.

 Check it out here: 

https://loveparanoiahtx.bandcamp.com/album/hanashi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOXvy93UHpg