There’s something about the perfect blend of juxtaposed emotions of sadness and angst and hope and bliss that 90s alternative rock was able to convey that hasn’t been replicated by any other era or genre. Until now, when bands like Hard Chiller create thick, warm layers of dreamgaze wrapped around angular alternative space rock that fill me with the same mixture of seemingly opposed feelings that somehow make perfect sense together. Thick basslines hum against fuzzy riffs, while plaintive, melodic vocals float on crashing waves of percussion. I’m listening to their debut EP, Heavy Cell, that came out earlier this year on Born Losers Records — get it on gorgeous copper vinyl here. It’s only 13 minutes, which is a shame, because this is a band that could captivate me for hours. So I’m keeping an eye out for a full-length, and you should too. Listen to Heavy Cell here:
