Genre : Shoegaze
Released : October 30th, 2020
Label : Relapse Records
FFO : Deftones, Slowdive, The Smashing Pumpkins, Deafheaven
I wasn't familiar with the band Nothing until I finally checked out this new album of theirs after seeing its album sleeve on so many of my fellow IG reviewers' profiles.
The album cover really drew me in, it's such a curious and singular visual, and just by looking at it, I was expecting some sludgy post-metal but I got some shoegaze instead.
But that doesn't mean this album lacks in heaviness, quite the contrary, even though its dreamy and airy shoegaze sound can lull the listener into a false sense of carefree bliss.
The name of the band and the title of the album itself kind of give that dreary, existentially heavy nature of the music away from the get-go and the band's chaotic history also adds to that aspect.
"The Great Dismal" offers an inner questioning about the effects of isolation and mankind's behaviour when faced with that isolation and how that can make one re-evaluate his place and purpose in the world, especially in the context of this ongoing pandemic we are currently dealing with. And each track on this record perfectly encapsulates this idea in my opinion;
Although the music isn't heavy in the sense that it isn't filled with 9 string chugging guitar riffs and hardcore breakdowns, the pacing and the "floating" style of the vocals and guitar give an impression of detachment from reality which is arguably perhaps even heavier than straightforward anger and aggression.
The sludgy, fuzzy bass greatly emphasizes this "flowing heaviness" and kind of contrasts with the rest of the arrangements by grounding the listener with its heavy tone.
This record feels like watching the slow collapse of everything that anchors you to the reality of your own existence and making peace with that.
There is definitely something very nihilistic to it, at least that's the impression I get.
It's quite strange since I feel like this album can be enjoyed very differently.
You can either get absorbed by its sense of dread if you ponder too much upon it and think too deep or just listen to it on a surface level and enjoy its cool and energetic shoegaze sound without getting lost in existential considerations.
I guess it's up to you to see which experience you'd rather have and which is the most gratifying for you, either way this album is sure to take you somewhere else no matter where you go.
Comments