As someone who is in a DIY shoegaze band himself, I really appreciate it when like-minded souls reach out with their projects. I was so happy to hear from Jonathan Lee, a self-professed lone gazer from Derbyshire in England. He has just released his debut album under the name Lushen Tides.
Perfect Moments is, at its heart, Lee’s love letter to shoegaze. He has had some help from guest vocalists Angie Henton and Anna Sharpe Jones as well as some bass guitar from Alan Brown. On the whole though this is essentially all his own work. Lee had this to say.
“I adore the concept of Shoegaze. Fuzz drenched guitars, dreamy distant vocals and heavily processed beats, all mixing together to form an incredibly rich sonic wall of lush harmonics. I believe I have captured this shoegaze essential essence fully in the tracks presented on Perfect Moments and can’t wait to share it with the world at large. “
Sounds like its going to be right up my street, Lets dive in and find out.
The album kicks off with lead single ‘Things Fall Apart’. A static filled intro suddenly drops to silence and an epic soundscape erupts from the speakers that takes the breath from you. The balance between breathy vocals and the pounding assault of the bass led guitars is spot on. I love how he layers in a screeching feedback squall which quickly becomes fundamental to the melody. Very clever stuff.
That bass assault continues into ‘Lysheen’. What occurs to me immediately is, Robin Guthrie would kill for this song. It feels like the perfect blend between that dreamy Cocteau Twins sound and Lee’s own brand of sonics. This is where music is at its most exciting, that blending of approaches, genres and styles. This album is off to an incredible start.
It’s the turn of the title track next, taking the pace way down. You would be mistaken though if you thought a slower song would be any less intense. That all-consuming fuzz is the gauze through with the song peers, emerging like the sun from behind storm clouds. That decision to put the wall of fuzz front and centre is inspired and is very much the Lushen Tides brand.
‘Red Sea Corpses’ is powerful, punchy track blending a dreamy descending guitar line against a booming, melodic bassline. The chorus is particularly affecting. Lee pleads “Don’t look at the sea, please” over this guitar line which reaches a glorious crescendo sending the song heavenwards.
We enter a neon lit futurescape for ‘Rise and Fall’. Adopting a synthwave angle feels entirely appropriate. Lee proves himself incredibly adept at crafting that warm and sultry sound making it all his own. Theres a grand instrumental breakdown mid-way through which gives you goosebumps when it resolves back into the song again.
‘Colder’ is a song of contrasts. The harsh static driven wall of noise versus the calm a beautifully delivered vocal. Not to mention the moments of calm mid song and at the end. The one binding factor, the glue holding it all together is the melodic bassline. Driving the whole song along.
In a similar vein comes ‘Talk to Me’. I can see why these songs are next to each other. This almost feels like a response to the claustrophobia of ‘Colder’. Its grand chorus, all sweeping synth chords are a release, an escape into the skies. Flying high and free.
Keeping us on our toes next comes the almost ballad, ‘Runaway’. I say almost as for the most part this is a luscious dreamy, woozy number. Then, out of the ether bursts that fuzzed out guitar sound, punctuating our dream. It’s only momentary as the dreamy tones return lulling us back to our dreams. Oh, but it’s not over, that final minute is epic!! I’ll say no more but that caught me out and had me smiling ear to ear!
There’s an undercurrent of psychedelia in ‘Sudden Light Shines’. A combination of its cyclical, hypnotic bassline and swirling guitars. Theres no other word for this song but massive. You’re gonna need bigger speakers.
The album closes out with ‘Truth or Lies’. A sprawling, atmospheric bookend to the album. The absence of any drums, and with the bass taking more of a backseat, allow the guitars to shine. And shine they do, glistening and shimmering in equal measure. This is a glorious way to close off this stunning collection of songs.
I said earlier that this album is Lee’s love letter to shoegaze, but it’s more than that. As you listen through Perfect Moments you can tell that Lee has a deep and profound understanding of genre. Not only that but all the sub genres from dreampop, through synthwave and more. It’s all here. All wrapped up in his own unique take. Having your ‘own sound’ as a shoegaze artist is a bit of a holy grail. As someone who’s chased that sound for decades I can attest to Lee’s success in that search.
Perfect Moments is out now and available from the Lushen Tides Bandcamp page.
Follow Lushen Tides on social media here…
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