Lowtide’s self-titled debut album has been a while coming, but hell, it was worth the wait. There are lashings of Joy Division and Explosions in the Sky in its emotive and often dark swell, and the emphatic chord progressions could bring grown men to their knees.
The opener Whale is, for want of a better analogy, like a whale’s call. It’s haunting yet beautiful, and sets the pace for an album that moves like the sea. It’s the sense of journey, and continuous rise and fall entrenched in the album that warrants such a comment, not just a cheap, forced shot at the apparent oceanic theme present.
The two instrumental tracks, Autumn and Maxillae Leaving, Seaward, serve as thought provoking and reflective spaces between a rich and emotional wad of tracks, but sandwiched in between them is the album’s first single, Blue Movie. The track succeeds in deceiving the listener as to when exactly it will erupt, move into a chorus or even end, making it a strong centrepiece for the band’s debut.
Missing History is vaguely reminiscent of The Cranberries Zombie, as it winds up for each chorus, but dares to be more delicate. A major highlight on the album, its softness resonates long after the 6.14 minutes have come to a close.
The closing track, Still Time, is appropriately sobering, and in ending on a melancholic note, leaves the listener slightly unsettled, but rightly so after what has been nothing short of an emotional expedition. Each track, in both sound and name, seems to evolve or transition from the one that preceded it, reinforcing the aforementioned sense of movement and maturity on the album.
BY IZZY TOLHURST
Best Track: Missing History
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: TWERPS, LOWER PLENTY, I’LLS
In A Word: Oceanic
