Adam Cresswell (vocals, bass), Nat Guest (drums), Martin J Langthorne (guitars) and Adrian Taylor (guitars) make up UK dark shoegaze band Cloud Studies, who came into being back in 2024. They have released their second single “Cloud Cartography,” out on HappyRobotRecords.
PHOTO BY ALISON AHERN
The world just comes alive between those guitars and keyboard, full of sonic joy. Having a proper drummer creates a wonderful symmetry when it comes to shoegaze bands. The sonorous vocals are hazy and dreamlike, set on an equal level as the instruments. All the while there are tiny squeals of feedback intermittently piercing the track.
“CloudCartography” was written after visiting Derryveagh Mountains in Ireland, and turned into a story about two humans trying to map clouds, which is kind of a metaphor for life. No matter how hard we try, there is no confirmed map or even permanence, for just like clouds, we are in perpetual motion, blown on the whim of the wind. My favourite shoegaze band of all time is Ride and this track would easily sit in the earlier phase of Gardner and Co. CloudStudies’ “CloudCartography” is sonically pleasing between the guitar feedback and jangle, with vocals taking you on a vapour trail adventure.
MattWebster is a composer and musician from the heart of Bradford, UK, where life isn’t always easy and stories in songs are forged in the fires of the daily struggle. His project is SigniaAlpha and often incorporates like minded music types such as PaulGray, bass player of TheDamned, and they have released the new full length player, the fairy-tale Wonderland.
The cool, almost reggae beginning to title track “Wonderland,” is married to the seemingly disinterested vocals, which makes this track curiouser and curiouser. The dual vocal by Webster and Harris are taking us down the rabbit hole to a world, our world, where big brother is in control, and are offering a pill to fix your head, or a pill to fix your health. The guitar work is light, but the vocals illicit feelings of restlessness. There is a play of words in regards to Star Trek in the track “A Slave To Enterprise.” Harris gives us vocals that are suitably disenchanted, wavering between the spoken word and the sung chorus, along with the smoky guitar, as they throw up that everything benefits the wealthy. This leads to the Bond inspired instrumental, “For Your Ears Only,” which feels whimsical and an escape into a world of spies, fast cars, faster women, and martinis, shaken, not stirred. It is a mixture of organ like keyboard and duelling guitars that blend magnificently. Paul Tunnicliffe provides his honey rough vocals for the empathy filled “Anyway.” Grungy and stripped back, “Anyway” plays to its strengths and the harmonica makes you think of America in the 30s and 40s, when the homeless often rode the trains for free to eek out an existence.
Returning for the track “Starlight,” Tunnicliffe croons with that gravel worn voice, over psychedelic guitars, stretched sax, and fluttering flute. There is something delicate and magical about “Moonlight” and it hints of a Damned influence. There are delightful guitars reminiscent of the sound of the Damned, Damned, Damned album (though the band says The Black Album…. potato/tomato), sculking saxophone and an air of just letting go in order to enjoy life, and this is possibly my favourite track. “KillingFlies” is one of the first singles and has the dulcet tones of Webster serenading you. Between the story of why they are murdering those buzzing winged creeps in the middle of an English summer and being drawn in by the acoustic guitar, this is an amusing tale. Maybe sleeping in a squat is not such a good idea, but the track is a memory of misguided youth spent in Czechoslovakia.
At the beginning, I say this album is a fairy-tale, as Wonderland is where Alice disappears and in a round about way, finds herself. Most fairy-tales are often based in real life and they don’t really end happily ever after. This is what we experience. Life and it isn’t easy for the common folk with juggling money, time, mental health, aging and a litany of other parameters. Wonderland is the every day, where its joys and flaws are perfectly shared through a myriad musical styles, blended together, with the lynch pin being MattWebster.
Things I know. The band The Dark Wave formed in 2019, and is a new wave/post-punk from the Netherlands. Jelmer Luimstra of April Afternoon, joined them in 2023, and now they have released their second single “One of These Days.”
There are chiming guitars and the synths have a breezy, light feel. The hint that this track is not all sunshine and lollipops, is the heavy bass below everything, and of course, those lyrics about being trapped. Smooth as silk vocals are the cheery on top.
If you enjoy eating sea food, you might feel rather remorseful after watching the music video, though the lyrics are using the lobster as a metaphor for once being free and if you aren’t aware of what is happening around you, that freedom can disappear. Kind of pertinent for the current political climate. “One of These Days” is the more modern equivalent of The Manic Street Preacher’s “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next,” and TheDark Wave are poking you to open your eyes with good indie pop.
Time for some dark shoegaze from Wrocław, Poland in the form of haunting dale. This band has been around for about five years, but they have now released their debut single “time flies.”
A hail drums, followed by guitars, assault your ears, those guitars reverbing and clamouring, trying to swallow the echoing vocals. It rolls along before slowing right down, a mire of syrupy noise, then striking one last discordant push.
“time flies” blasts the cobwebs out of your ears, in the nicest possible way. The vocals just blend into the murky wall of shoegazed pandemonium and I really like the discord versus melody. A worthy debut for haunting dale.
Stuff has always been a great off the cuff description that could basically mean anything. “Stuff” is also the new single from Naarm (Melbourne) based duo Roles, who showcase their electronic eclectic experimental craft.
Yeah, the dulcet tones of Love are going to be the focus with the rather cute electronics bleating and blooping off-kilter, in a discordant fashion which makes it oddly endearing. There is the chiming in of a guitar to punctuate the beat and a feeling of whimsy throughout.
The video Roles has created for the track is them entertaining a beanie wearing skeleton, through the streets and parks of Melbourne as well as divining tarot cards and in general having a good time. It’s amazing!!! ‘Stuff” is quirky and just plain fun, rounded out by the music video, and let’s face it, growing up isn’t half as much fun as peering through the looking glass of a child.
Some of my favourite bands are based in the ephemeral shoegaze sound, and I am going to thrust before you Talking to Shadows, a four piece from Baltimore, who Onyx last reviewed when they released the single “Soma.” Band members, Cat, Ron, Greg and Alex, dropped the single “Valentina” on the 26th of June.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Cat’s singing, then you are missing out. Smooth and evocative, that only enhances the dreamlike quality, swirling around your ears along with the guitars. There is that wall of guitar noise that lifts you up and takes you away….all of it wrenching a little at your heart.
It would be a shame to try and dissect the lyrics, which have both a visceral pain and at the same time utterly poetic, meaning you should just sit back and just lose yourself in the dark depths of that which is “Valentina.” Cat and the lads are influenced by possibly the most wonderful dreamy guitar group ever in CocteauTwins and it shows. No, they aren’t LizFraser and Co., but then I would be disappointed if they were a carbon copy, and this is TalkingtoShadows making their own beautiful music.
SignalsFromTheSun is the debut album for American duo, CraigDouglas and MichaelGoldberg, collectively known as SonumUnum, a dreampop project. You know they have to be something incredible when they have been signed to the NegativeGain label on the strength of the first track, but also having the mastering done by RobRobinson of KervorkianDeathCycle fame. With that in mind, we thought it was time to speak to CraigDouglas for the low down on SonumUnum.
Welcome to Onyx Sonum Unum, where we are hungry like the wolf for music.
First of all, what does the band name, Sonum Unum mean, if anything at all?
Craig: It means “One Sound” in Latin.
The band is made up of you, Craig Douglas and Michael Goldberg, with both of you being multi-instrumentalists. Has this been a long term friendship and have you created music together previously?
Craig: Mike and I met via a Craigslist ad in 2023 so this is all very new for us.
Where are you both based and what music projects have you been involved in?
Craig: I live in western, MA and I have been in a number of projects that range in style throughout the years. I currently have a solo project where I record and play shows under the moniker “Neonach” doing experimental vocal ambient drone and improv. I also recorded two albums under that name that are sort of ethereal and progressive rock formulated.
Both of you were swapping computer files over the winter of 22/23. Did this just start out as a clear idea of a band you wanted to create or did it just seem to evolve into something that just really worked?
Craig: The original intention was to make ambient music with super ethereal vocals. We wrote one track “Holding On Forever” which is the last song on the album. We were aiming for that type of sound but things evolved and got more dynamic as we wrote more tracks.
Who does what on the album?
Craig: We both contributed heavily to the music and arrangements, whether it was Mike writing something musically and sending it to me to arrange and add things or me sending him some synth structures to write instrumentation around. I am the vocalist on the album but Mike does sing lead on two tracks, “Snow Days” & “Know It All”.
The end result is the synthpop, ten track album “Signals From The Sun,” yet there actually isn’t a track on the album with that name. Is the name a reference to the idea that there is something bigger than us out there or something else?
Craig: I sort of had a concept for the artwork before we had a title. These sort of triangular waves beaming out from the sun. Our first track “Rescue” has a lyric that goes, “The lost will follow signals from the sun” so putting the visual element of that and the art together it seemed like a fitting title.
There is a lot of harmonization on the tracks, giving them a very warm feel. Was this a conscious thing and do you think it was influenced by the cold weather?
Craig: I appreciate the perspective of associating it with cold weather…but no… it has always been ingrained in me as a singer to incorporate vocal harmonies in all of the songs I’ve written. I always found harmony makes a song more interesting and keeps listeners a bit more engaged. I don’t think you will ever hear a track I sing on without some type of harmony.
Do you have a favourite track off the album, and if so which one and why?
Craig: I like them all but if I had to choose I think I would pick “Misinteraction”. It was the quickest song we wrote together and I am quite proud of the results.
You both are producers, and in fact, both of you produced “Signals From The Sun”, so how hard was it to agree on the production values?
Craig: I found working with Mike has been incredibly easy. Like most bands there are disagreements or opinions that clash. We had a few of those probably but overall we tend to work well together. I trust Mike entirely with mixing our material because I think he is a much more proficient producer than I am in that regard. I am more into the arrangement side of producing.
The mastering was done by Rob Robinson of Kervorkian Death Cycle, which is beautifully done. How did you get Robinson involved?
Craig: Big thanks to Micah and Roger from our label Negative Gain for getting Rob connected with us. Rob is an incredibly sweet guy and was so easy to work with. I agree he did a beautiful job.
Your debut has been released on the mighty Negative Gain label. What has that been like?
Craig: It’s been incredible. Micah and Roger heard one demo we uploaded to Bandcamp and they immediately reached out telling us they wanted to hear more from us. They were there following us every step of the way through the creation of this album and I am so grateful for that because I think that motivation helped us. We are so appreciative of them and their support for us. I’ve always wanted that from a label and Negative Gain absolutely delivers.
What are the bands/acts that brought you into the music fold?
Craig: My early days bands like Voivod, Fates Warning and Vangelis. My later years The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Radiohead, Sigur Ros.
What or who do you currently listen to that you find inspiration from?
Craig: From a vocal standpoint Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins for sure. Early Nine Inch Nails when Trent would incorporate tons of dynamics with his vocals. Peter Gabriel too. I know I sound nothing like any of them.
What is next for Somun Unum?
Craig: We want to play gigs for people. We already have some new material in the works so recording will be a thing too.
In 2021, the Seattle project, NewVersionOfBlue released the EP, Waves, however, in September of 2023, the title track has been given another lease of life, using anime to create an entertaining new video to accompany it.
There is a laid back vibe for “Waves,” with the vocals relaxed and soulful. The waves roll in and out, and this is the same in life with people and events entering our lives and then leaving us, often a little more changed. The song has a groove about it that reminds me a lot of the experimentation of Gorillaz. This is a NewVersionOfBlue floating in the tide of “Waves.”
Label, 4000Records, on September the 1st, saw the debut release of post-punk, Brisbane band, StartTogether, which also, is sadly, their farewell album, called FounderInOddity. The line up for the recording of the album is GerardLawrence (guitar, vocals), EmmaWalton (bass, backing vocals), DemetryMalahoff (guitar, synths) and JamesBoothroyd (drums).
Photo by Madeline Randall
“ImposteringTheNascent” or pretending to come into existence, is the jangle shoegaze filled starting instrumental that introduces you StartTogether, wandering from brusque to enchantingly dreamy. One cannot help if the heart cares, and so there is the sweet “SquireJeffersonCareInstructions“, as the music cries out, while we are introduced to the dulcet vocals of Lawrence. You might think the track “Lookfar” is a quiet affair, but you are plunged into peeling walls of guitars for the chorus and vocals that are filled with longing, and the poetic lines ‘Assemble me Tireless moil And mark An incendiary soul‘ are simply golden.
There is a joy in the music of “SeparateBeds,” yet the lyrics bely this with a certain amount of cynicism, while I hear echoes of TheStrokes mixed with TheChurch. Another instrumental in the form of “Skeptics,” in truly entrancing as the music dances around your ears, propelled by the rhythms conjured by the drums and delightful light guitar that graces your senses, and drops into a murky morass of sound, changing up the feel. Last track is also the title track, and befitting this role, “FounderInOddity” encompasses the essence of StartTogether’s poppy hooks with the robust guitars.
Not the first time 4000Records has brought us a release that marks first and last album of a project, and yet we should be eternally grateful, because they have captured the crux of StartTogether, as well as fellow defunct Meanjin band, BalloonsKillBabies, giving us heavenly slices of glorious brilliance. StartTogether has given you post-punk, drenched in shoegaze goodness and FounderInOddity deserves your utmost attention.
Today, we explore the album Lesser Gods by the Los Angeles project BARA HARI, which was released at the end of May, and the limited edition vinyl on the label Re:Mission Entertainment, The exotic BARAHARI is musician and producer SamFranco, whom is also known for her darkwave and industrial collaborations.
Your ears are greeted by the sublime “SirenSong“. Delicate and short lived, a beautiful warning of the dire events to come. For her name is “Tempest“, she who will bring the ensuing storm to clear away the lies and deceit. Such foreboding in a pop like song, as BARAHARI casts her gaze over those that cause consternation, stalking them down. The guitar is heavy, matched by the thudding drums, for we are given the story of sexual double standards and moral gatekeeping in “ImmoralTales“.
The synths bring in “ViolenceRising” and it is indeed about the abhorrent acceptance that it is alright to be brutal to one another. There are wonderful rounds of vocals joined by trumpet. Lust, love and “LookingForOblivion” is an electronic buzzing gem, that settles in your brain. The buzzing is palpable but wait hold that thought. The next track, “HouseOfTheDevil” is simply huge between the falling vocals and melancholic piano, as Franco gives us the modern version of “IWillSurvive“.
Does going outside make you nervous or dealing with crowds bring on anxiety attacks? Maybe you are “Agoraphobic” and as this number plods along, almost unwilling to leave, while the first affirming lines, ‘Started off as a joke Now I can’t walk out my own front door’, fulfil the prophesy. The rock is fused with electronics and “DelusionsOfGrandeur” is both angelic and full of angst, while “EasyTarget” is a sassy and alluring track. The final track is the superbly dark and disturbing “Immortal” with the chiming keyboards and up beat rhythm, whilst the lyrics tell of the fact that as we age, what made us beautiful fades and many see our worth is only wrapped up with youth.
Fairy tales and fables were often stories to teach people wise lessons, and when I listen to BARAHARI’sLesserGods. this album is very much in this vein. Modern fables of not judging others, through to when good people do nothing to prevent evil. Colourful and descriptive language within the lyrics are carried by the melodious electro/indie pop, topped off with the gorgeous vocals of Franco. LesserGods indeed when it comes a goddess like BARAHARI.
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