Many consider shoegaze a secondary musical genre, which had its moment of greatest splendor in the 90s, but which does not seem to have the qualifications to carve out a definitive space for itself within the history of rock. Starting as a true subgenre, it has had the opportunity to expand progressively over the decades, so much so that it has reached the present day showing surprisingly signs of great form.
This is not the space to compose the exegesis of this fascinating musical genre, but having the pleasure of listening to a record like “Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day” by London’s Whitelands in 2024 is a heart-stopping experience dedicated to those who adore this virtuoso strand of alt-rock.
The growth shown by the English band compared to the homonymous (and immature) debut EP of 2018 was dizzying, and in this the contribution given by the always attentive Sonic Cathedral was certainly decisive.
The formation composed of Etienne Quartey-Papafio, Jagun Meseorisa, Michael Adelaja and Vanessa Govinden has created a complete work, which enters the heart of shoegaze thanks to the significant use of effects for guitars (mostly distortion and reverb), often busy, as per praxis, in riff monochords. The melodic and dreamlike sense of the vocal parts, treated almost as a supplementary instrument, are perfectly linked to consolidated dream-pop patterns. The references to putative fathers such as Slowdive, the first Ride, as well as the Cocteau Twins and DIIV, are obvious, but they are elaborated here with a suitable dose of modernity.
The single “Tell Me About It” written by frontman and guitarist Etienne and sung together with Dottie from Deary, is a little dream-pop gem in which topics related to how to deal with a romantic break-up are treated, in a rather unusual way. He is the one who, suffering from ADHD, claims that this situation is managed in a completely different way from those suffering from this disorder.
The indie-rock shoots, at times gothic, of “The Prophet & I”, the perfect balance between delicacy and corrosion of “Cheer”, the rather poetic and introspective cut of “Born In Understanding” are paired with episodes like “Setting Sun”, “How It Feels” and “Choosen Light”, where the dense and impetuous wall of sound of Whitelands sinks into the ancestral depths of shoegaze.
The powerful guitars of “Now Here’s The Weather” do not mitigate the aura of melancholy that hovers in the closing track, where Quartey-Papafio explores, with good metric, themes such as racism and inequality.
Shoegaze devotees will surely fall in love with “Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day”, but within this dazzling LP there are enough deviations from the typical forms of the genre, both in terms of rhythmic combination and substantial instrumental choices: a manna from heaven, useful in attracting the attention of even the most casual fans.
04/22/2024
