Back in April, NYC-based shoegaze band, HEAVEN, released an LP on Little Cloud Records called Dream Aloud, which is filled with elements of rock, dream pop, and synthpop. HEAVEN engages a sense of nostalgia in this album, reminding me of some of my favorite shoegaze records from the mid-90s to early 2000s.
I really enjoyed the journey that this album took me on, but I’d really love to highlight some of the best tracks off the record.
Starting off with the LP’s title track, Dream Aloud, we’re brought along a more gentle ride. Leaning more into dream pop than shoegaze, Dream Aloud is the most nostalgic-sounding track. I love the feeling of familiarity from something totally new to me, so this track is right up my alley. Guitars layer over an ambient synth, which is a constant undertone on the track. I feel like I can identify the guitars as a bit more shoegaze-y on this track, though shoegaze doesn’t seem to be the prevailing influence. I like that the guitars are quite fuzzy throughout most of the song, lending themselves into the gentle feeling of the track. Though the clear-toned guitar solo towards the back end of the song seems like it would be out of place, it actually fits quite well and lends itself to an instrumental bridge of sorts.
A Magic All Our Own also leans into dream pop and shoegaze influences, much like the title track. The ambient undertone on this track is something I can only describe as “running your pick up and down your guitar strings”, which was a really interesting sonic foundation on this track. The guitars are still delightfully fuzzy, and the vocals feel a little more buried into the sound than in Dream Aloud. Oftentimes, true shoegaze uses vocals as little more than an additional sound layer, however the vocals on A Magic All Our Own still have discernable lyrics.
The final song I’d like to highlight is I See The Rain, which has some more forward rock elements, especially at the beginning. The guitars aren’t as fuzzed out or distorted in the beginning as compared to previous tracks, though the vocals seem more fuzzed than the instruments. As the song progresses towards the end of the first chorus and beyond, the guitars feature some more fuzz than at the beginning of the song. I also like that during some points on the track, there is enough of a break in the main melodies and guitars for the bass to peek through. The bass line offers some lovely, complementary melodies to the more forward aspects of the song, like the guitars, vocals, and drums.
Overall, I really enjoyed this LP. I always vibe with a good dream pop and shoegaze record, and Dream Aloud was no exception.
You can find HEAVEN on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, and wherever you stream your music.
