Released today from Olympia-based band Waves Crashing, The Viewing EP continues the act’s penchant for textured, melodic rock with alternative and shoegaze appeal. They caught our ears with EP track “Life on Display” in January, offering a dynamic rock sound that swelled from jangly, dreamy charm into a shoegaze-y textural pull — and the high/low EP prior to that.
Including the stellar “Life on Display,” The Viewing captivates steadily throughout its four tracks, living up to the ample promise shown by the EP’s single. The enthralling opener “Automatic” compels from the get-go, into a blistering guitar presence with a ’90s alt-rock nostalgia fuzz. “It’s automatic,” the vocals exude suavely during the resonating chorus, contrasting enjoyably with the spacious, atmospheric synth-laden interlude that follows, prior to a rock-forward reprising finale. “Automatic” thrills with its layered guitar-fronted sound.
The more contemplative “Voices” reassures that “everything will be alright,” into a glistening blast of guitars. The crawling bass line and lullaby-like initial vocal presence drive consistently into the ardent distortion-heavy rises, with the “life… oh it’s killing me,” expansion sending chills with its gauzy power. Closing the EP, “High Horse” embraces a dreamier initial disposition in the vein of Wild Nothing, with subsequent rises further representing the act’s capacity for fuzz-filled momentum. The Viewing EP is another satiating rock success from Waves Crashing.
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“Automatic” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of March 2023’ Spotify playlist.
