Photo: Kim Withers
Words: ROBIN MUMFORD
There is something about shoegaze that will always fascinate me. I’m still not quite sure whether it’s the floaty feeling I get, or the mystery that I indulge in throughout, but the genre itself forces you to listen much more closely to every strand of the song in comparison to others.
Founded in the Los Angeles heat of 2021, The Loud Bangs are the latest band to instil a cult-like faith to the elements of shoegaze. Instead of only venturing into the exclusivities of this genre, though, they add a unique twist with their emphasis on 90s alternative music, polishing it off with a shading of German Club Music.
Their world is very unfamiliar to the rest of society, and the sounds that they invent are a mix of unchartered territories, but that’s what makes them so brilliant in their own way. They have recently produced another fine track.
The Loud Bangs latest single ‘New Flavors’ is exactly what it says on the tin, it is entirely different to the usual shoegaze. While it still has that same temperament that makes you think you’re tapping into a figment of your imagination, the band latches onto punk rock influences to make certain that listeners stay grounded.
Think Pink Floyd meets My Bloody Valentine - it is a curious mixture, but one that makes the soul flutter at every corner as the single decides to take the ears down unexpected avenues. Dark aesthetics and whispering words entwine in an ambiguous kind of harmony that can only somewhat be described through listening to ‘New Flavors’.
Fittingly, the band suggests that words aren’t the only way to shuttle emotions. Instead, they availed themselves on this track with analogue synthesisers, heavy guitars, and fuzzy production. “Who needs lyrics to convey emotion? We can’t understand the words of MY BLOODY VALENTINE, or COCTEAU TWINS, or SIGUR ROS, and we still get what they’re singing about. Honestly, we’re no good at lyrics. So, who cares?”
Buoyed by producer Darren Callahan, the band features the twin guitars of Alice Street and Daisy Gutierrez, plus the sick grooves of bassist Hannah Remley alongside session drummer Marcus Nemuro.
And their shoegaze rocket ship has only just taken off.
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