Whether you love or loathe the term shoegaze, there’s no denying both the impact, and resurgence of the genre as of late. While many of transatlantic cousins have been tapping into its aesthetics over the last few years, the majority of the scenes pioneers came from the UK. That’s why it’s nice to hear a band like Rain, who hail from our fair isle, bringing the sound back home on their debut EP ‘Symphony Pains’.
While being far from trading in just a cascade of beautiful noise, the Swindon based quartet have clearly done their 90s homework for this EP. Across the three tracks on offer, Rain have married big riffs and dreamy textures, and found a way to meet grunge and shoegaze somewhere in the middle, effortlessly sounding refreshing and familiar. The songs are neither too long, nor too short, and stick to a traditional loud/quiet/loud formula, rather than try too many ideas above their station.
The acclaimed opener ‘Slur’ starts big, drifting in and out of reverb-soaked guitar lines, with each section having its own room to breathe. It blends into ‘Indigo In Blue’, which is carried by a lackadaisical, hazy vocal melody. It is redolent of many of their peers, but is delivered with enough conviction to sound original. Their accomplished playing, and clear knowledge of what works to create their desired sound reaches its peak on ‘Dandelion’. It brings what it’s a largely sullen sound, to a bright climax at it’s cadence.
It is fair to say that you will have heard other bands doing what Rain do, but ‘Symphony Pains’ looks to the future as much as does the past. With enough in common with today’s crop to sound relevant, and nods to the golden era of indie to tack on nostalgia, they have done what a lot of bands are struggling to achieve. It is a perfect start to what will no doubt be a long, fruitful journey for Rain.
GLEN BUSHELL