Hailing from Richmond, VA, Shadow Age have finally released their first full-length album after five years as a band! What I love about Shadow Age is how flawlessly they’re able to transport listeners to 1982 with their traditional post-punk/shoegaze sound while putting enough spins on it to create a distinct uniqueness. The self-titled album is available on August 4th.
“The Grey” is such a fitting description for the opening track, which is eerie, dark, and mysterious. “Reign” sets the beautiful 80s influenced tone of the album. The vocals are soft and romantic. It’s easy to understand why they’ve played with Chameleons Vox– they’ve got similar song structures and a similar balance between goth rock and shoegaze. My first favorite song on Shadow Age is “In Snow”– it gives me a truly nostalgic feeling and I’m not exactly sure why, but I can’t get enough of it.
“Youth” really stands out to me as a beautiful track. Dreamy, sad, majestic, and driving, you’re transported to another state of existence. It finishes out with a heavy organ synth I once associated with 90s German industrial bands and dark Mideval computer game soundtracks– something I’ve never heard in this genre before, and quickly discovered I’m now a huge fan of. One of the album’s peaks happens when we’re suddenly jarred awake from our dreamy slumber into the highly energetic “Sometimes”, which eventually finishes out with a lullaby. “Montrose” is one of the most dancey tracks on the record and another highlight for me. “Forbears” has an atmospheric early Cure vibe with smooth, ghostly vocals cutting through.
Another favorite for me personally is “Volant”, a song that leans on dancey and upbeat at first glance (not unlike “Sometimes”), although the chorus is much more solemn to offset this. The best part is the interlude, which pulls off this driving archaic beat with dramatic intensity. “I Love You” brings us back to the mellow and melancholy. Final track “Diminished” is another one of those tracks that transports you to another world, completing the album gracefully and giving you the same feeling of finishing a really good novella.
TOUR DATES:
08.31 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere ^
09.01 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA ^
09.02 – Washington D.C @ Songbyrd ^
09.03 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery *
09.04 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter *
09.05 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
09.06 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
09.07 – Nashville, TN @ The East Room *
09.08 – Indianapolis @ Pioneer & (+ Spandrels) *
09.09 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle & (+ Ganser) *
09.10 – Grand Rapids, MI @ TBA
09.11 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar (+ Ghost Realms)*
09.12 – Toronto, ON @ Monarch*
09.13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Rock Room
^ with Wax Idols and Planning For Burial * with Wax Idols
