Album review: Slow Crush – Thirst

Earlier this summer, Slowdive’s appearance at Manchester’s Outbreak marked a high-water mark for shoegaze’s acceptance in punk rock circles. The not dissimilarly-named Slow Crush have helped clear that path, touring with hardcore-inclined bands and increasingly incorporating heavier elements into their delicate and doleful sound over the last eight years. That sonic trajectory continues on third full-length Thirst, even as their approach broadens in subtler ways.

The signature Slow Crush formula remains intact as they whip up a warmly-textured wall of sound, its shelter blissful yet melancholy. However, rather than coasting on their established identity, Thirst proves a repository for new ideas that swerve the generic. Covet opens with glitching acoustic guitar, blossoms into unusually catchy dreampop and then throws a saxophone into its conclusion, while Hollow’s floaty ambience gradually darkens, cutting out just as harsh vocals can be detected buried deep in the mix.

There’s a sense of foreboding at such points that perfectly balances the band’s tendencies towards beauty, making for their most dynamic and satisfying release yet. At times, notably the final minute of closer Hlýtt, proceedings cross over into blackgaze territory. Elsewhere, Thirst offers little nods to My Bloody Valentine, whether through note-bending guitar figures, bassist Isa Holliday’s ethereal vocals, or suitably woozy titles like While You Dream Vividly. On the latter, Isa sings of ‘Drifting from this world’, encapsulating this immersive music’s ability to transport the listener to somewhere out of time and place.

The enveloping accessibility of Cherry and the title track seem designed to welcome more people into Slow Crush’s world, strengthening what the band have described as “the fragility of human connection.” Anyone seeking exquisite, emotional shoegaze will find their desires quenched by Thirst.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: NOTHING, Deafheaven, Narrow Head

Thirst is out now via Pure Noise