Christmas came early this year for shoegaze and dream pop lovers, courtesy of Azure Rose. Their album Blue Drops releases in early October, just in time for the cozy and introspective vibes that come with the fall season.
If you aren’t tapped into Azure Rose yet, they’re a Toronto-based project that is bringing their talents to the live stage this fall for the very first time. They’re not beginners to this scene however; Justin Grant, member of Fjord Rowboat, founded Azure Rose and pulled in his long-standing friend and talented drummer Derek Downham to jam and experiment with some ideas. Together they conjured up songs that excited them more than they could’ve ever anticipated.
The full band would come together later during COVID lockdowns, a time where creation felt like it was one of the only rays of hope many of us had. Azure Rose added Frank Yang, Ian McKay, Kevin McKay and Tim Foy to the mix to see what could happen, and there was no going back. They had cracked the code, following their gut and leaning into the chemistry that culminated during many sessions together.
Now that you have some history and context, let’s get into the juicy parts: the NEW MUSIC!
Blue Drops is a cohesive hodge-podge of shoegaze, dream pop, and indie rock, with a dash of folk that checks every box in my brain for a promising record. A few singles were dropped ahead of the album’s release, including “Lights Come Down”, “Villains”, “Blue Drops”, and “Carry on My Mind”. We got to taste a little bit of everything in these singles, making anyone sane hunger for more.
“Lights Come Down” is full of hallucinatory layered guitar melodies and gazey vocals that pull you from reality, plopping you into their perfectly curated world. The lyrics paint a picture of someone pulled out into the unknown depths of the sea, hoping for something that can carry them back to the shoreline; back to safety and steadiness. The search for security is a topic hit on in many different ways throughout this album, a devastatingly human need that unfortunately evades all of our grasps.
The next single released was “Villains”, a rock-forward song with hints of dreamy-ness woven throughout its hooks and driving instrumentation. “Blue Drops” may as well be the bestie of “Villains”. Both exude indie-rock vibes with heavier instrumentation, shorter song lengths, and that oh-so-familiar melodic formula we all cherish (god I love indie rock). These lyrics from “Blue Drops” tie back into the first single, “Lights Come Down”:
“A wave you away
On an early Sunday morning
The heavy’s going under
A wave you away”
The track “Carry On My Mind” serves as the album opener, and was the first song I actually listened to from this project. The folk undertones are palpable here, with Nashville-based James Paul Mitchell playing the pedal steel. Don’t fret though dream pop/shoegaze lovers: those elements are still very much present and complement the golden tones of the pedal steel and washy guitars perfectly.
Track 3 is called “Another Holiday”, and this may be one of my favorites. I’m in love with the progressions and lyrics, especially this set:
“A holiday like a stranger on a plane
You can shake you can swerve
Just don’t let on what you know
When it feels like the end but it’s only taking time
You can make out a guess but you can’t decide”
The themes of hopelessness scattered amongst these songs get swaddled like a newborn by a “knowing” that the unknown is the way it’s supposed to be, is incredibly prevalent in “Another Holiday”. There’s a spot in this track around the halfway point where all instrumentation and vocals stop for a few short seconds, and I love when musicians do that. It acts like a breath of fresh air for the listener, reminding us where we are. The bass in this song is particularly groovy and thumping, and the unexpected guitar solo in the last third will be insane to hear live.
“December” opens with breathy backing vocals, a light bass, and a feeling of pure nostalgia. It’s a heaping bite of shoegaze that I could listen to on a loop for hours. This track is probably tied for my favorite along with “Another Holiday”. The drive underneath it all can be felt in your bones, and reminds me of a lightly treaded snow-covered path heading uphill, where a pink and orange sunrise blossoms to welcome you to another day.
Track 7, “A Good Day Autumn”, fits neatly next to the previous track with related song structure and melodies. The electric guitar melodies are reminiscent of some 2010s pop songs I can’t quite put my finger on, and the bits of wobbly accompaniment exemplify the instability I mentioned earlier. Upon first listen to this song in particular, I could imagine a moody music video alongside it, backed by a hazy blue filter. The drums in the last third of the song feel primal, like the heartbeat of someone on a mission, even if they aren’t privy to the details of it yet.”
We wrap up the album (sort of) with “Day/Night”, a mostly instrumental track that is as dizzying as it is gorgeous. The pedal steel makes another appearance, such a great instrument to meld with shoegaze and dream pop energy. To me, having the end of the album sound like this is a good excuse to be introspective, remember where we started, and beam with anticipation and hope for the future.
If you listen on Bandcamp or purchase a physical vinyl of this album, you’ll be gifted with a captivating bonus track called “Daybreak”. I won’t say too much about it, except that it’s super dreamy, so find it and listen for yourselves if you’ve read this far.
Azure Rose has created a true beauty of an album, and if you want to see them live, check them out in Toronto at octoberDAZE – An Autumn Night’s DreamPOP Experience on October 3rd. I’m super jealous and bummed that I live so incredibly far away, as that event seems like a literal dream to attend.
With a vinyl option heading our way soon, be sure to pick one up. They’ll have classic black as well as a blue and white splatter variant. Plus, the cover art for this album is a perfect piece to display in your living room. Check them out on socials as well and show them some love on their newest creation!
Take a listen to “Villains” below.
Written by Newt Fangs
