Whirr – Raw Blue

How was your festive season? Quiet? Spent reflecting on the year past. Not so for shoegaze pioneers Whirr. The enigmatic ensemble from California, has a storied history marked by sporadic releases and long periods of self-induced (or should that be self-inflicted) dormancy. I remember when they dropped their 2019 album, Feels Like You. At the time it was widely lauded as their strongest work to date, showcasing a maturation in their sound and a deepening of their signature ethereal style. It was also signposted by the band as their swan song and farewell to the fans.

In a surprising move, Whirr unveiled their latest album, Raw Blue, on Christmas Day 2024, much to the delight of fans and critics alike. Limited editions flew out the door in a matter of hours leaving no one in any doubt. Whirr are back. But back with what? Let’s dive in and find out.

The album opens with the title track and its textbook Whirr. Gorgeous guitar tones and a quiet, loud, quiet production that is the most extreme I have ever heard. When it’s quiet your reaching for the volume meaning that when it kicks in, by god, it kicks in! It’s a more dynamic production than Feels Like You, it has a real vitality that makes your ears really tune in.

That properly comes into focus on ‘Collect Sadness’ next. It’s a punchy track that keeps a volume standard going throughout but the use of dead stops punctuates the song and makes those transitions to roaring guitars all the more impactful. You forget how good heavy gaze can be until a band like Whirr show you.

Pulsing in comes ‘Swing Me’ which at its heart is a great pop song. That pulsing guitar doing as much to keep time as the drums do. I love how pacy it is. It positively bounces along. It’s like a Castlebeat number that’s been swathed in fuzz.

The tempo comes down again for the absolutely megalithic intro to ‘Every Day Is The Same’. The textures in the verses are sublime, serpentine and lithe. Its like the sound of sparkling stars before we plummet into the black hole of the chorus. The song has a sumptuous discordant segue into the next track.

‘Crush Tones’ is a stunningly beautiful ballad. Its utterly hypnotic, using some key shoegaze tropes to great effect. Ultimately though it comes down to the songwriting. This is one of those perfect songs you hear and wish you had written yourself.  That final minute or so is life affirming in every way and all that together makes this my album stand out track.

On what I assume will be the flip side we begin with ‘Days I Wanna Fade Away’. This is classic Whirr and is sure to become a fan favourite pretty quickly. It pairs the emotional one two of heartfelt lyrics with wailing guitars that sound like they’re crying their hearts out. It’s a particularly powerful as it flows into the next track.

‘All Mine’ is euphoric and introspective at the same time. This weird musical contradiction plays out over a really simple but effective riff and chord progression. This is all about “less is more”. The vocal melody carries so much more water in this song than any others on the album and that’s a great production choice. Whirr are masters of their own destinies and aren’t afraid to mix things up.

There’s a short mood music intro into ‘Worries Bloom’ and we’re back into that ultra quiet verse mode again. This time the dynamics are gradually turned up as more instrumentation is added in. It’s a nice touch and once again when that cacophony of noise slaps us square across the face, its seismic. That woozy guitar riff is beguiling and has you moving your head around like a snake following the charmers’ pipes.

Speaking of riffs, ‘Walk Through Space’ opens with an absolute stormer. Utilising that dead stop motif again makes this riff coming back all the more effective. The song feels more like a waltz through space. The eerie guitars in the quiet verses sound like they are coming from a lost planet through the vastness of the void. Then when the chorus explodes its like they go supernova and fill our soundstage.

The albums finale arrives with ‘Enjoy Everything’ which climaxes into an unexpected trumpet solo. Yeah, read that again. A trumpet solo. This is a bold choice and how they pull it off still baffles me. The track has this smoky, late night romantic kinda mood that makes the trumpet solo fit in. Oh! Maybe not so baffling after all. It’s a fitting end to this extraordinary album.

In this review I haven’t mentioned anything about the controversial history the band have. I’ve done that deliberately. After reading the fantastic interview Nick Bassett did with Eli Enis early last year it is truly apparent that this band truly regret it all. They couldn’t be more apologetic and as far as I’m concerned that’s all I need. Who amongst us are the same person we were six years ago. I would heartily recommend reading the interview in full. It’s a real masterclass in having a real conversation with your subject. Hats off to Eli.

So, that said let’s get back to the album. Overall, Raw Blue is a testament to Whirr’s evolution as a band, blending their signature shoegaze elements with unobtrusively experimental tendencies. The album’s dynamic range—from very quiet to very loud—creates a dark, dense affair that is both soothing and invigorating. It’s clear that the record has a vision, a narrative, translating into wonderfully soothing sounds and pounding riffs that don’t let up. This really is my favourite album of theirs to date and I proper loved Feels Like You. When the masters of the genre are delivering at this level you just say thank you, hit play, turn it up to eleven and smile.

Raw Blue is available now digitally from the Whirr Bandcamp page and on Vinyl, Cassette and CD from The Funeral Party and Devil Dog Distro.

You can follow Whirr on social media here…

• Instagram
• Bandcamp
• Freewhirl.com