by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Western Massachusetts shoegazers Kindling like being in the studio. The quintet have released five different records In the past two years (including the exceptional Everywhere Else LP) and I'd put my money on at least another two being well in the works at this point. One of those upcoming releases, No Generation, will be released on February 24th via the fine folks at Old Flame Records in the US as well as Echo Canyon and Adagio830 in Europe. While so many "shoegaze" bands (and I use that word lightly) are contempt with slick dream pop, Kindling aim for a crushing wall of sound, allowing their guitars to swallow all in their path but the ever bright hint of fuzzy melodies. No Generation, once again produced by Justin Pizzoferrato (Krill, Speedy Ortiz, Dinosaur Jr), is big and brutal, a rapid tidal wave of impenetrable sound, blistering distorted pop beauty and true shoegaze bliss.
"Claims Nonexistence" is the records' first single, a heavy sludge fest that revs up with a stuttering introduction and tears forward with a blanket of guitar noise. Gretchen Williams' sweet vocals and Stephen Pierce's warm harmonies lie just below the quaking tremors, pulling the song together at the seems with floating pop melodies and syrupy hooks. A good ol' pop tune is rarely this loud, but then again Kindling's swirling guitar chaos is as thick as bricks; shoegaze the way it was intended.
Speaking about their latest single, Pierce shared:
"'Claims Nonexistent' is a song about directionless anxiety, indecision, and not feeling at home in our houses or our selves. It traces the alienation that you may feel towards yourself and your life if you spend uneven amounts of time looking in the rear view, trying to understand the uncertainty ahead, and muffling the dull roar of the present. 'Claims Nonexistence' asks for a way out, while recognizing that the path of escapism is well-worn and doesn't always lead to peace. I guess we hope that the subtext is one of some sort of hope and that we're not alone in how we feel. We're not alone in this weird somnambulance, and we're not alone in the worry that the "easy way out" will circle us back to our point of origin. Maybe we can create the world we want to live in among ourselves, if we can pull ourselves out of bed."
Kindling's No Generation is out February 24th via Old Flame (US), Echo Canyon (EU), and Adagio830 (EU).