El Paso Texas is a simmering hotbed of musical talent. I seem to be mentioning the town more and more in my blogs and radio shows. Hailing from the border town come two amazing shoegaze bands, joining forces to release a split EP.
First up we have Get Well. I’ll let them introduce themselves.
“Get Well are a four-piece band fronted by Julian Martinez. Julian’s themes of growing pains and heartbreak drive the songs that don’t sound familiar, but feel familiar.
This family filled band distinguishes genres of Midwest emo and Shoegaze to an organic blend of music.”
Secondly, we have the power quintet Intentions. Here’s what they have to say.
“Intentions combine slow, incoherent tones and warm embraces of reverb to artfully establish the link between heavy guitars and heart-breaking nostalgic themes. With the crashing undertones and gloomy melodies, Intentions builds a distinctive connection that pushes the envelope of Shoegaze and Slowcore.”
Ok guys I’m sold. Let’s dive in and see what this EP sounds like.
Get Well get us underway with the percussive gaze of ‘Death Floatz’. Drawing influence from the Relapse Records stable of bands like Nothing and Cloakroom this is reassuringly heavy. The blissed-out fuzz washing over the breathy vocals. The rifle crack drums and muted bass, it’s all that good stuff. We’re off to a great start.
‘Bleed With You’ draws more on The Jesus and Mary Chain as influence. That said, it’s a gloriously strident song. Triumphant in parts even. The song makes great use of dynamics to keep the listener on their toes. Without doubt my favourite of their two songs on show here.
They hand the baton to Intentions with their song ‘Home’. This band have a dreamier approach with the song opening over heavily modulated guitars and softly sung vocals. That calm is quickly punctured in the choruses with an onslaught of fuzz and distortion. I absolutely love how the song builds and builds in intensity.
Intensely is how their second number, ‘V’, opens. Sludgy and gloomed out chords ring out before receding and the gentle flow of the verse takes over. It’s only temporary though as the chorus brings the noise. This song is paced beautifully. Everything has its space and there’s absolute clarity in the mix. Even though this track clocks in at over six minutes, it just doesn’t seem long enough. I loved this track, definitely my favourite of the two.
These two bands really complement each other’s styles and if heavy gaze is your jam, then this EP will make you very happy indeed.
The Intentions // Get Well EP is out on June 3rd and is available over on Bandcamp.
You can follow Intentions on social media here.
You can follow Get Well on social media here.
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