Review Summary: Admittedly a step down from 40 Watt Sun’s previous albums but ultimately another great addition
Having seemingly taken their softer trajectory as far as it could go with 2022’s Perfect Light, 40 Watt Sun’s fourth full-length feels like a back to basics in some regards. Granted Little Weight isn’t exactly the second coming of 2011’s The Inside Room, but the way it returns to blurring the line between doom and slowcore certainly feels like a missing link between that album and 2016’s Wider Than The Sky. The bursts of hazy fuzz on the opening “Pour Your Love” are quite a jolt coming off the preceding effort’s almost exclusively acoustic-focused cleanliness, even if the execution is still rather lightweight by conventional metal standards, and the drums have enough weight to maintain the crawling pace but are pulled back enough to let the chords and vocals breathe. There’s even a glimmer of hope that lingers in the subtle brightness of the chord progression, but it’s ultimately wrapped in the melancholy that has come to be the group’s calling card.
Even when subsequent songs dip into some of those softer elements, they still tend to shy away from any uplifting notions. “Half A World Away” is an especially notable track on this front and among the strongest overall; it begins quietly with gentle strums and faint percussion that suggests an almost cavernous darkness and that subdued approach continues even as the choruses and instrumental sequences put in some distortion. “Astoria” and “Feathers” also carry out their dynamics beautifully with their overlays of acoustic strums and complementary fuzz, I especially love how the former’s periodic leads have that hint of warm twang straight from the Jerry Cantrell playbook. Bandleader Patrick Walker’s voice remains a constant through it all, still consisting of a signature mournful holler that no doubt could make any song sound bummed out as all hell by mere association regardless of genre.
The album’s forty-five minutes runtime also makes for an interesting angle, especially short considering the last couple albums’ hour-plus sprawls, though it ends up playing less into the proceedings than one would think. The songs themselves are only a couple minutes shorter than usual with “The Undivided Truth” being the only one to exceed double digits, but never feel particularly trimmed down. The compositions never seem to be approached with any real intents of compactness or greater accessibility, still opting for lethargic rhythms and drawn-out melodies designed more for general pleasantness than overt catchiness. If anything, part of me wonders if these songs could’ve gotten more weight (heh) had there been a couple shorter tracks added in to space them out a bit more, but the presentation as is never feels particularly underdeveloped.
While Little Weight admittedly feels like a slight step down from 40 Watt Sun’s previous outings, it’s ultimately a quality effort that maintains the band’s somber appeal. The move back to those slowcore-doom textures is executed in a way that doesn’t feel derivative and continues to play well into the group’s strengths, especially when it’s paired with a return to a full band format. There are times where the songwriting doesn’t feel quite as impactful as what has come before, but there are still some great songs on display. Time will tell if Little Weight will eventually hit my sadboi jam rotation with the same fervor as Perfect Light or even Watching From A Distance, but I’m pretty willing to see how much more it ends up growing on me.
