Infinite Granite

LOCAL! The Bay Area's flagship shoegaze/black metal band goes full shoegaze. Vocalist George Clarke sings much more than he screams now, and the guitar and synth textures are like butter (bespoke butter). They've found a lavish, romantic, airy sound that evokes coastal Northern California beautifully. Especially good driving music, almost entirely mid-tempo but rhythmically full and agile. RIYL Nothing, Slowdive, Deftones, The Chameleons, The Appleseed Cast. Favorites: 1, 2, 3, 9. No FCCs.

1. *(6:06)—Long ambient intro. Lots of clean guitar harmonies, big ending with busy drum flourishes.
2. *(5:30)—Closest song to straight-up pop. Measured post-punk beat, grave-sounding vocal harmonies.
3. *(6:00)—Goes in heavy and majestic, almost church-like. First screaming on the album comes at the end.
4. (3:06)—Instrumental. Major-key synths. Play with next track.
5. (7:09)—Strong Pink Floyd and Chameleons vibes in the cleaner parts. Blast beats at the end.
6. (5:42)—Starts bright and clean, heavy shoegaze ending that turns minor key.
7. (5:34)—Similar to track 3 but gloomier and less triumphant.
8. (6:11)—The first four minutes are serene and fluid, the last two heavy and with screaming.
9. *(8:18)—First 30 seconds are very quiet. Starts slow, with acoustic guitar, builds gradually from gentle space rock to shoegaze and finally the blackgaze they're famous for.