Snowcuffs – Sweet Gravity EP

Chicago has long been a favourite shoegaze city of mine. You can trace a line from the city’s heavy underground to its long-standing shoegaze and dream pop communities, and Snowcuffs sit right in that lineage. Formed in late 2022 by members of Lightfoils and Astrobrite, the five-piece arrived with Sink Down in 2025 and quickly showed they knew what real gaze was. That debut EP carried real poise. It earned them slots alongside Cold Gawd, Seashine and Cigarettes for Breakfast and a strong showing at Kalamashoegazer.

Now they return with Sweet Gravity, a second EP that feels more assured in its identity. Stephanie Nikolas handles vocals with clarity and restraint. Neil Yodnane and Weasel Elliott share guitar duties, building layered lines that move between clean, icy patterns and full-bodied distortion. Sarah Sterling’s bass anchors the songs with a low end that anchors everything and Mike Hoyt’s drums snap with purpose. The EP sounds expansive without losing detail. Each instrument has room to breathe while still contributing to a unified whole.

Let’s dive in and see what’s what.

‘Burst’ opens the record with real attitude. The band describe it as a meditation on identity and indecision, inspired by Sylvia Plath’s fig tree metaphor in The Bell Jar. That literary reference might feel lofty on paper, yet the song grounds it in something immediate. The guitars chime and swell while the rhythm section keeps everything taut. I love the melody which is a bit of a call and response from the vocal and the guitars. We’re off to a cracking start.

Up next is ‘In Blue’. From the first bars, the interplay between the two guitars becomes the focus. One traces a cool, minimal line while the other fills the edges with textural layers. The bass sits low and steady, giving the track a sense of scale. As it moves toward its climax, the song takes on this euro vibe. Like a soundtrack to a lost French arthouse film.

The intro to ‘Sunless’ does that neat trick of starving out ears of bottom end so that when the bass kicks in we feel it in our chests. The lyrics circle themes of absence and reflection, and the arrangement mirrors that introspection. You can hear how much attention has gone into dynamics. The chorus in particular is has a that contrast between the drive and thrust of the guitars and drums against the longing of the vocal delivery. Very cool.

‘Cold Memories’ closes the EP with it all left out there. Hoyt’s drumming here is next level. I am always totally tuned in to it when I listen to this track. The bassline is warm and resonant beneath the higher guitar textures. As the final notes fade, you are left with no doubt that Snowcuffs have taken a decisive step forward from their debut.

Taken as a whole, Sweet Gravity feels like the sound of a band settling into their stride. The songwriting feels tighter, the arrangements feel more confident, and each member finds the right space within the mix. Nikolas carries the emotional thread through the record with a vocal delivery that stays calm and clear even when the guitars rise around her. The guitars shape the EP with layers of shimmer and distortion while Sterling and Hoyt keep everything grounded with a rhythm section that feels locked in from the first note. Four songs in, it becomes clear that Snowcuffs are building something with real direction. If Sink Down introduced the band, Sweet Gravity shows exactly where they’re heading next.

Sweet Gravity is out now. You can check it out over on the Snowcuffs Bandcamp page.

You can follow Snowcuffs on social media here…

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Photo Credit

David Ritter