Dead Vibrations burst onto the booming Stockholm music scene in 2015 and have been flying the flag high for Scandinavian shoegaze ever since. Comprised of Christian Jansson (Guitar & Vocals), Elmer Hallsby (Bass), Josefin Ahlqvist Lyzwiski (Drums) and Olov Sjogren (Guitar), their dark and gloomy noise pop channelling a mix of visceral Jesus & the Mary Chain and Spacemen 3 which results in a reverb-drenched sound that manages to sound both unapologetically indebted to its influences yet completely modern.
Having spent the last couple of years touring Europe, bringing their blistering live show to venues and psych fests across the mainland they had released just two offerings; their debut 12” EP Reflections and this year’s 7” single ‘Swirl/Sleeping In Silver Garden’. They have now signed to the illustrious Fuzz Club Records to release their self-titled LP.
They open with ‘On A Sunday Morning’, a shoegaze track with an edge which clearly outlines the bands intention for this album, with an atonal bridge that sets it out from the usual. Lead track ‘Chemical Hug’ utilises a dark sense of foreboding throughout, with haunting melodies, swirling feedback and repeating elements which linger sinisterly. ‘Dive With You’ has a somewhat lighter feel with its floating notes and dreamy vocal tone before ‘Marbles’, the stand out track of the album comes in with its playful guitar riff and motorik rhythm accompaniment. If anyone wasn’t sure what Dead Vibrations were all about, this track pretty much sums them up nicely.
‘Void’ returns to heady shoegaze, with fuzz charged guitars dominating once more and the addition of a female voice provides enticing interplay. ‘In Habits’ continues in this vain, and the two tracks tie together perfectly. The balance of sound within is perfect, allowing all musical elements to shimmer through whilst producing an alluring overall sound. They conclude with ‘Bitter Better Way’ which shows elements of song writing genius with empowering vocals, exceptional guitar interplay and a resonating rhythm.
With fuzzed out guitars cranked up to 11, lashings of swirling feedback and haze laden vocals, this LP is exactly what fans of Dead Vibrations have been waiting for and will undoubtedly earn them a new yet into the bargain.
Order: https://fuzzclub.bandcamp.com/album/dead-vibrations
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