On Blank Stare, Minneapolis shoegazers Waking Hours prove able to write outstanding ethereal music in a world that is full of it.
Scratchy, fuzz-laden guitars; 80s-worship production choices; Johnny Marr-style guitar bits on What Would It Take. It’s a culmination of everything good about new wave, indie, and shoegaze and packages it up with candid songwriting worthy of the emotion-rending, world-ending vastness of the production. Very easy it is to get lost in the warm embrace of chorus and reverb of some of the most beloved and critically acclaimed shoegaze records, and Blank Stare replicates this well – in fact, it improves on the formula.
Although dynamics play a big part in the band’s effort, they manage particularly well to develop intensity on the third track, All I’m Known For. In fact, they are masters of manipulating intensity, occasionally dropping into a groove to break the tension.
If you loved the Title Fight or Turnover records, you’ll love it. I’d dare to suggest that if you like the My Bloody Valentine or the Slowdive records, you’ll love it too. Blank Stare is a treat for any fans of hoarse washes of guitar sounds, dreamy grooves and having human emotions.
Written by Dominic Coulon
