San Francisco might be going through a bit of a renaissance in terms of shoegaze. At least if this IdiotEQ article is to be believed. On a somewhat related note, the band interviewed for said article dropped an album earlier this year by the name of Still Dark. It's a very mature-sounding release for such a young band. It's their debut but it has a muscular and refined filament to it that you'd expect from a group that has been through the shit- whether that be a break-up and reunion, a particularly disastrous tour(s), or an exacerbatingly turbulent press-cycle. Now, they couldn't have been through all this and more. I don't know, but the weathered quality of their performance doesn't tarnish the freshness of their sound, the sharpness of their production, or the firmness of their resolve. They sound like they've already reached the end point of the indie-rock discography gauntlet: a promising initial showcase on their first album, a lackluster overreach of a follow-up, and finally, a triumphant return to form with their third release. They're starting in the end position, which makes me think that there must really be something special happening in SanFran right now to catalyze an accelerated evolution with such drastic consequences- that and these folks are really really talented. From the very start, the title track emerges into your field of perception like a foreign moon rising through the center of the horizon- huge and luminescent- reflecting the rays of a distant sun down on you in a cleanse of blue pricing light- a cosmic spotlight whose steady gaze is intercepted by eclipses of dark furious, feedback. It's followed by the balmy, grunge gacked echo-chamber and Bunnyman hop of "In Time," a song that collapses the distinction between the buzzsaw cleave of '90s alternative rock and the cooly conveyed, beguiled ardor of '80s new wave balladry. The lights dim and the atmosphere becomes heady on "Pedestal" a track with hooks like cat-like claws that dart out at your shins from around odd corners, making every blind turn through its smooth, angular geometry a playful, if slightly precarious, prospect. The album slows its tempo in the second half, having already impressed with its combination of gently savage vocal harmonies, rippling currents of guitars, and drums that keep pace like the metronome of the soul, Pure Hex settles into moodier territory like "Halflight" and "Joy & Paranoia." Still Dark resolves with the confidently searching and grand sweeping tremble of "Sleep," a perfect place to close out a stunning and transportive debut- an invitation to close your eyes and lose yourself in a dream. Good night all your cursed little darlings reposing in the shadowy swell of the internet's womb. May you find peace in the vibrant calm of the night while it is still dark enough to camouflage your yearning aura.
