When was the last time you’ve gone shoegazing, losing yourself in a detached and introspective state, with any and all hostility far from your mind? There’s a reason why this subgenre of alternative rock latches onto droney imagery: it may be the only fitting way to describe the hold this type of music can have on its listeners. Shoegaze revivalists A Place to Bury Strangers have made sure on Exploding Head, their latest full length album, to identify themselves as the current all-stars of the increasingly crowded genre, trying to prove that they’re a band that’s more than just any wall-of-sound.
From the opening track “It Is Nothing”, listeners will encounter a new sense of listenability. The record contains the same drenched auditory landscapes by the same band that released their self-titled debut two years ago, but the band’s newly found appreciation for structure is evident. That isn’t to say they’ve traded in their hip uniqueness for a more marketable sound, though. In fact, Exploding Head may be more of an eardrum thumping, cerebral aneurysm than anything from their earlier, independent label days.
“In Your Heart” melds dripping guitars and jittery drum patterns with Oliver Ackermann’s somber echoes, making for an upbeat precursor to the dread of “Lost Feeling.” The thrashy clashes of “Deadbeat” and “Smile When You Smile” horrify, while “Everything Always Goes Wrong” drills into your skull. Closing track “I Lived My Life to Stand in the Shadow of Your Heart” has musical theatrics befitting the epic title. The mundane is surely lacking here.
A Place to Bury Strangers have taken the “nu-gazing” movement to new heights with their latest release, with waves of reverb and sonic compulsions to bombard listeners into a bowed posture. Hit play, but choose your footwear wisely—you’ll be looking at it for a while.
Voice’s Choices: “Deadbeat,” “Smile When You Smile”
