I was overjoyed to hear that Olympia, Washington based post wave / shoegaze quartet Waves Crashing are back. They have just released their new EP called The Viewing. The band consist of Josh Calisti (guitar, vocals), Bryce Albright (drums) and Joshua Charette (bass). I covered their previous EP High / Low which you can read over here.
I absolutely loved their previous work so I was keen to ask what this EP sounded like.
“With their latest release, the 4-track EP, The Viewing, we hear the band diving sonically deeper than ever before to bring some of their most well-crafted and beautiful songs to the surface. The feature single “Life on Display” has been very well received with continued radio support from KEXP Seattle, DKFM Los Angeles and WXNA Nashville. With this release, all is on display for the world to hear for themselves.”
That all sounds very promising. Let’s dive in and see what the band have been up to.
The EP opens with the pacy ‘Automatic’. Fans of DIIV will find a lot to love here. There’s a tight energy in the verses which opens up on the choruses. There’s a nice drop out section mid song with some spoken word samples before the song erupts again.
That’s followed by lead single ‘Life on Display’. It reminds me of a shoegaze ‘Lovesong’ by The Cure. It’s so atmospheric, guitars soaring whilst the vocals keep the song under control. It’s the bass driving this song. Its purposeful and punchy delivery working hand in hand with the drums to really breathe urgency into it.
‘Voices’ is next, switching up the tempo with a chilled-out intro which blooms into this chorus Billy Corgan would kill for. That switch in dynamics is so skilfully executed, making a really satisfying listen. For me the fuzz tone on the guitar in that chorus is the star here. It’s massive! At the risk of saying the same thing in two blogs, proper widescreen music.
Those hushed opening tones continue into ‘High Horse’. It’s a glorious take on that Philly sound I love so much. Again, the bass steps up, this time to carry a bit of the melody through the verses. It really helps make this song leap out the speakers at you. It’s a short and sharp number which leads us into a Bandcamp exclusive track.
‘Outro’ is a moody instrumental which evokes the feel of small-town America. Much like the soundtrack for Twin Peaks did. It has that eerie, other worldly quality that really endears it to my ears. It’s absolutely beautiful and the perfect way to round out this EP.
The band described the songs on The Viewing EP as “well crafted”. For me that’s an understatement. Everything from the songwriting, production, dynamic choices, sequencing and arrangements are all next level. This has become one of my regular listens, especially in the evening for some reason, and one I’m sure will seep into your consciousness and take over.
The Viewing EP is available now over on the Waves Crashing Bandcamp page. You’ll find it on download, CD and an exclusive vinyl release featuring this EP and on the flip side their previous EP High / Low. It comes on numbered limited edition transparent coke bottle green 180g vinyl.
You can follow Waves Crashing on social media here…
Static Sounds Club 