Review Summary: king woman. ethereal wave. chelsea wolfe. gaze. other spuzzwords that'll get you to check this out.
In spite of their relatively maximalist approach to all things
drem, Graywave feel like a pretty low-key and, dare I say, quiet band. We don’t hear from them a whole lot, but when they do decide to drop a new project, it’s bound to be really, really good. The fresh
Dancing in the Dust EP is no exception: in fact, it’s some of the most immediately gratifying gaze of the year. While this project retains all the synthily ethereal qualities the UK outfit have become known for, opening cut “Falling Apart” displays a shift towards a heavier, grittier, and even more all-encompassing sound. Each subsequent track bursts in with blistering riffs (“Blur Into One”), hauntingly dissonant textures (“Undone”) or post-punk infused patterns (“Dancing in the Dust”) before complementing dense, ethereal synths with Jess Webberley’s soaring vocals. Each chorus feels like a
statement and attempts to tower over whatever came before, and while this makes songs a tad predictable at times, the melodies are absolutely enthralling. As a whole,
Dancing in the Dust embodies an excellent twenty-five minutes of gothic-tinged, doom-infused ethereal wave - and I couldn’t ask for more. Well, perhaps an LP at some point. That’d be neat.
