Review Summary: Loom are a band who make music
Loom is a post-hardcore outfit from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed from members of Orbs, Fear Before, Norma Jean and The New Transit Direction. When I learnt of this band’s impressive background I was eager to discover what style they went with, as with such a diverse palate there was really no way of knowing which style they would go with and for the most part I was pleasantly surprised. Sounding like none of their former bands nor really a sum of their parts, Loom are instead something I didn’t expect, a melding of post-hardcore/math rock sensibilities and the grounded catchiness of indie rock with a violin thrown into the mix, a move many would denounce as gimmicky but in my opinion does wonders for their style.
Loom take a somewhat scaled back and resigned, melodic approach to hardcore, one that makes impressive use of the loopy, intrinsic, math rock riffs to keep the tracks moving as well providing some complexity to keep the ears amused while never becoming over indulgent or particularly upbeat. The introduction of a violin in the mix helps create a dark, often tense, strained sound, as it whines away in the background to provide a dark undercurrent for the hoarse emotional shouts and melodic noodling to unfold (that sometimes reminds of Off Minors more lacks moments) or instead winding away with the noodle riffs to add another level of complexity to the proceedings. The influence from early 2000s and 90s post hardcore bands is often obvious here as the style of shouting hoarsely and lack of actual “core” is reminiscent of the simpler punk ethos. At one point in “Hourglass” everything cuts out except for the bass drums to let the violin take the fold, providing a morose feel and one of the few moments where it takes the limelight and is a pleasing breath of fresh air.
Comparisons to Bear Vs Shark often come to my mind (and they indeed list them as an influence) as there’s that grasp of technicality that never becomes overbearing instead the band seems resigned (and rightly so) to often have these moments as embellishments, instead focusing the sound around the catchier, simpler riffs with gang vocals and upbeat drumming, never becoming over indulgent in their technicality. This serves to keep the emotional tone of the Angler grounded, as the refusal to go for over complicated climaxes or crescendos keeps the tone relatable and simple, so there’s never any need to read too far into the lyrics as they often speak for themselves even in their ambiguity as the violin’s tone often clears up any doubts.
If there’s anything negative to say of Loom it’s that their refusal to step out of their comfort zone eventually gets a tad boring (even if it does keep Angler wonderfully consistent) as there simply isn’t much diversity throughout the Eps 5 tracks. However, Loom should be forgiven for this seeming as the very fact they managed to pull off a post-hardcore sound that is carried so heavily by a violin without sounding pretentious or overblown is in itself an amazing achievement.
