Los Angeles’ Sidewave is a band putting a modern spin on the space rock and shoegazing genres. The quartet has just put the finishing touches on their debut album, Glass Giant, and are set to release it in the early fall. Influenced by alternative rock bands from the nineties like Hum, Failure, and The Smashing Pumpkins, there is a certain nostalgic aspect to their sound—it’s not hard to imagine this album coming out during that era—but they do add a fresh, revitalized take on their heroes. A tower of shimmering guitars infects this album with an anthemic quality while simultaneously remaining dark and brooding.
From the time the album begins with the distorted, spacey guitars, and singer Phil Golyshko’s almost whispered vocals on “Grounded,” it’s immediately clear this in an album that shoegazers will absolutely eat up. The band also treads on stoned, neo-psychedelia with songs like the druggy haze of “Lace,” and the slow burning “Hearts,” but Glass Giant truly shines best when the band explodes with a wall of crunging, unrelenting noise as on “Honest To God,” and “Romance Is Dead.” This album may feel like a blast to the recent past, but it’s certainly a welcome trip. Glass Giant is out October 5th.
