This is the debut offering from Chilean alt rockers Maff! The band pick out the best bits of grunge, shoegaze, and any other sub genre of indie rock you wish to name. As a result the music has a massive wall of sound atmosphere to it while also having a great mix of soft and chilled out sounds and louder more aggressive rock anthems.
'Act 1' is a slow and heavy shoegaze/no wave instrumental. The slow burning distorted guitars matched with a fast and furious drum beat sets the scene with a thick wall of sound atmosphere. 'Linger around' picks up the energy while also picking up some post punk elements sounding like Sonic Youth cross with Joy Division. As a result the music achieves a raw gritty atmosphere wrapped up in a wall of sound that drags you off to somewhere far away! 'Walking on fire' has all the elements of a slow shoegaze anthem, complete with the loud hazy sounds that will get you nodding away into submission in no time. The echoing voices add to the hazy feel, behaving more like a backbone that leads the feeling of the music rather than taking over and dominating the song. 'Million year picnic' has an early Church feel to it. The hazy spacey sounds create a thick hypnotic atmosphere.
'Someday' sees the shoegaze wall of sound hit its climax. Reminiscent of Ride's Going Blank Again record, the music moves along in a slow but submissive fashion, gradually filling the room and taking over in a very placid manner.
'You' is a complete contrast, taking on a loud and energetic feel, that is complemented nicely by the echoing vocals. 'Planet wave' lifts the tempo even further with a fast and furious blast of rocking energy complete with a growing chorus line! The album closes with the emotional indie pop sounds of 'Blue seas.'
This is an absolutely sensational record that puts forward a massive ball of shoegazey hazy atmosphere while covering everything from soft indie pop to hard and heavy grunge rock. On top of this the band achieve that great hypnotic atmosphere that sends you off into dazing submission! If you are nostalgic for the sounds of the early 90s then this will give you a great fix.
Check out Maff's website to find out more!
