Today we are debuting ‘Rain and Ice’ from Mexico City noise-pop band, Howless. The stately synth intro bleeds into an atmospheric setting for this apocalyptic dream theme. Build on nagging baselines, menacing drum patterns that stalk, like stomping feet and kickass guitars, woven with the two-handed vocals and elusive vocals of Dominique Sanchez and Mauricio Tinejro offering a contrast of low key detachment and celestial brevity. Oscillating somewhere between the early ethereal qualities of My Bloody Valentine and the toughness of mid-period Sonic Youth, this is a haunting that takes you with it on a journey into the dark unknown – will you ever return? Careering into an outro of crescendos and ghostly “Ooo ooo ooos”, that beguile and transfixes in equal measure. Watch the spooky and DIY artistic visuals of the video below, it’s the second single ahead of their debut LP, To Repel Ghosts out on the eighteenth of February.
“To Repel Ghosts is the debut album from Mexico City’s emerging noise-pop unit, Howless. This is an album that grapples with big themes, an album that suggests nervous foreboding and strikes different levels of consciousness. 35 minutes of beautifully crafted noise pop, consisting of eight dynamic songs that perfectly represent the sonic depth and magnitude of Latin America’s newest indie darlings.
Combining suavity and the maturity of seasoned writers, while revealing the strength of the band’s composition skills, To Repel Ghosts is an album that is seamless throughout, with each song easily transitioning into the next.
To Repel Ghosts is a very well thought out and cohesive record, one could assume that it was created with longevity in mind. With an imminent need to materialize beliefs, scepticism, expectations and day-to-day anxieties, Howless aspires to generate their own sound while not seeking to replicate.”
Bandcamp pre-order
https://staticbloomsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/to-repel-ghosts?from=hp&action=buy