This month’s featured band is Mexico City-based noise-pop/shoegaze quartet Howless.
Comprised of Sara Soto, Dominique Sánchez, Mauricio Tinajero and Karla Ramírez, the band’s debut LP, To Repel Ghosts, is out now via Static Blooms Records.
To Repel Ghosts is an album that grapples with big themes, an album that suggests nervous foreboding and strikes different levels of consciousness. 35 minutes of beautifully crafted noise pop, consisting of eight dynamic songs that perfectly represent the sonic depth and magnitude of Latin America’s newest indie darlings.
“Levels” is the lead single and the second track on the album; a crash intro of chimney guitar paired with arpeggiated synthesizers, and 808 tom fills, gives way to an up beat rhythm and hook, leading to a strong memorable chorus, revealing a strength of natural pop song writing.
“Rain and Ice” is the second single, a heavy low notation synth lead-in creates an atmospheric & moody staging for a recurring apocalyptic dream-theme. The track is sonically dark & also pushes in a heavier direction without losing melody or hookiness.
“Unlucky”, the 3rd single off the album, represents the power of a pop song. Dominique Sanchez’s haunting ethereal vocals seamlessly float over layers of beautiful, noisey saturation, lyrically making reference to human self sabotage and the manifestation of one’s own bad luck, that is based on bad decision making.
To Repel Ghosts is a very well thought out and cohesive record, one could assume that it was created with longevity in mind. With an imminent need to materialize beliefs, skepticism, expectations and day-to-day anxieties, Howless aspires to generate their own sound while not seeking to replicate.
Website: howless.bandcamp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Howlessband
Instagram: instagram.com/_howless
