Seattle-based Waves Crashing ship a gripping rock sound throughout their debut album, Effection. Shoegaze-y guitar layers and dynamic vocals — spanning from lushly contemplative to anthemic vigor — propel a constantly melodic sound. Waves Crashing has caught our ears with a number of EPs previously — excessive/low and The Viewing — and Effection continues to showcase the band as amongst the most effective rising acts within the realms of shoegaze and dreamy rock.
Following an enveloping prelude that swells from spacey intrigue into thumping hard-rocking fervency, “Comatose” brings forth a sound with a textured, nostalgic appeal. The whirring guitar tones exude a hazy high quality fondly paying homage to My Bloody Valentine, whereas the vocals’ ascent from subdued immersion into the “I really feel it shut,” hovering reminds of Spiritualized crossed with the vocal warmness of The Stone Roses. The punctuating “in a comatose,” chorus concludes with enjoyably numbing enthrallment, mesmerizing in its regular bass pulse and nodding guitar textures.
A synth-y post-punk inclination compels on the following “Components of Me,” exhibiting shades of New Order as jangling guitars ease in cohesively. The brisker “Treading Water” is one other standout, transferring with a peppy bounciness amidst lyrical ruminations on “dwelling like a man-child,” and the ensuing sense of “treading water,” in a single place. The heavier guitar roars emit a lovably dramatic high quality, then shifting cohesively into the jangling verses. Waves Crashing have crafted one of many yr’s strongest rock releases up to now in Effection, which excels in its vary from serene contemplation to rousing rock ferocity.
