New Spins: 29th March 2021

New Spins returns and we've got a couple of great new records for those who enjoy stoner doom and desert rock, and there's also one of the most unexpectedly exciting moves of an indie band into the world of heaviness too.

From The Ages - I

There's spacey doom, and then there's SPAAAAAACEY doom. Portland, Oregon's From The Ages are very much the latter. Their brand of instrumental stoner doom is unashamedly cosmic in both theme and tone. However, unlike some bands of this ilk who aim for a slick and saturated production, From The Ages have kept something of the raw filth that the best stoner doom has at its heart. I features three studio tracks and one live track, for which there is also a very cool 360 live performance video. The three studio tracks all embrace the ethereal darkness of the cosmos, but for the most part there's more focus on the riffs and rhythms than there is on atmospheres. It isn't a bad thing because these riffs are catchy and intriguing, infusing plenty of electric blues and 70s hard rock into the mix as well as a few dynamic elements from grunge. The live track Denouement is a bit different, focussing more on atmosphere and ambience amongst the samples from 2001. It also introduces some rather celestial slide guitar, an instrument I've not seen used in this manner in doom before. This is a cracking first release from the band, and definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of stoner doom's cosmological side.

Listen to I on Bandcamp, and watch the video for Denouement here.

Maw - Self Titled

Maw really is a great example of the globalisation of underground rock music. I doubt that when the members of Yawning Man, Kyuss and Fu Manchu were getting stoned and jamming in the California desert they would ever imagine their hazy creations would directly influence a whole generation of artists all across the world. Yet, here we are, with Cracow, Poland's Maw bringing their own take on the Palm Desert sound. There's definitely a certain paradox to this which the band embrace with song titles like 'i don't like sand' and 'fuck your travel', and it's clear that the band are very self aware. Their self-titled album is full on desert rock without any of the frills that Queens Of The Stone Age or Monster Magnet would later bring to that sound. It's heavy at times, but the focus is always on the melodic side of the music which is highly evocative of all of those bands I mentioned earlier. However, Maw manage to play this style in a way which does feel different, and at no point when listening to this record do I feel the urge to just stop and switch over to Blues From The Red Sun, something I do find myself thinking on a lot of modern desert rock albums.

Check out Maw on Bandcamp

The Horrors - Lout

I've loved The Horrors from their earliest days, and even through their switch from trashy garage goths to synth obsessed shoegaze wizards I've enjoyed the uniqueness and originality they have always strived for. After the dream pop masterpiece that was V, what I did not expect the band to do next was go full on industrial metal, but that is precisely what they have done on their new three track EP Lout. It's so heavy, noisey and glitchy it sounds as if the band had got together with Grimes, Bring Me The Horizon and Sophie for a Nine Inch Nails themed orgy. Except, no, this is all their own work, and of all the indie artists starting to embrace their heavy side this is unquestionably the most exciting. No matter how many times I listen to this EP it's still absolutely stunning, and whilst it's not a return to their early garage punk days, it is a return to the thrilling darkness of that era of The Horrors, only now they have a vast and expansive musical range to pull from.

Listen to Lout on Spotify

N.B. New Spins is now going to be a fortnightly feature as unfortunately life is preventing me from consistently making this a weekly article.

If you'd like to be considered for New Spins then pleas email your music and some info to wolvesinthedronedoom@gmail.com