Less than 18 months after their debut full-length, Timelost, the shoegazey Grunge-combo releases a new EP with several interesting songs and a PsychFur-Cover!
Timelost’s debut full-length Don’t Remember Me For This jumped on our ear canals from nowhere. As mentioned in the review here on MoA the collaboration between Set and Setting’s Shane Handal (here responsible for vocals and guitar) and Woe’s Grzesiek Czapla (drums and percussion; both contributed noises and bass lines) was far more than the sum of its member’s well-known bands. It was a perfect melange of Nirvana and My Bloody Valentine with lots of fine moments when the two really created some songs that didn’t want to leave one for days on end.
Now this new release must of course be measured on its own antecedent and not on the band members’ other projects, also because now the band is a quartet. And also because one can note a certain change in the songs’ construction and structuring: When the debut was said mix called “Grungegaze” (by the band itself), this new EP sounds like a crossover between Weezer (think of Pinkerton), Sonic Youth (Goo), TAD (4-Way-Santa) and, a remnant from before, My Bloody Valentine. The songs are much more direct and much more listenable, however at the same time that means that there are less things to discover by listening to it over and over again. Nevertheless, having the record on repeat is not a bad thing, because it is a really fun EP.
And here the connection to Weezer and Sonic Youth should be clarified: SY was never a band trying to fulfill anyone’s expectations; nonetheless Goo is such an enjoyable record because here the New Yorkers performed some of their most comprehensible songs that often even had a clear melodic structure. Pinkerton, on the other hand was maybe the most repelling record by an otherwise very poppy act. And right on this crossing between directness and restrictiveness sits Gushing Interests. What becomes clear quite quickly is how tight this band is now, every little move on the guitar arm, every tiny hit on the snare seem to fit right in while nothing seems too much or unnecessary. The songs have been skimmed down to their purest essence.
After two or three spins of the record it is also quite clear that there is not that one hit that can be taken as a clear example or as a unique-selling-point – also because Timelost do not care about something like that. It also becomes quite clear that they like some kind of space-core arpeggios – here Hum and (mid-era) Cave-In can be taken as a good reference. The guitars in some songs on Gushing Interest are arpeggios but they are not trying to swirl into nothingness, they try to move the song further forwards.
Now the only question that every one needs to answer alone is: Which version of Timelost do you like more – the bit fuzzier and more distorted version from their debut album or the new version (which is a bit more accessible but nevertheless highly enjoyable)? Gushing Interest will not leave you untouched, because the songs are just too good for that and the band too tight. One thing still remained the same as before – Timelost are more than the sum of their parts and really relevant in today’s music scene as they still represent new sound combinations we never knew we wanted.
