Artist: SOM
Album: The Shape of Everything
Label: Pelagic Records
Release Date: 01/21/2022
Location: Various
SOM’s debut album 2018’s The Fall was a space-rock, Hum inspired masterpiece that gave me such high hopes for the future of the band that I was simply chomping at the bit for more music. After a couple of stylistic changes showcased in EPs and some line-up changes The Shape of Everything is a mature upgrade to The Fall, showcasing the band’s much improved songwriting and production.
The sounds here on The Shape of Everything are dripping with atmosphere and mood, emotional interludes and buzzing of pure frustration. The band sounds like they are at the height of their game and yet most bands suffer from a second album dip, in this case they have improved on every aspect of their sound. From the introspection in the lyrics to the drive of the heavy low end guitars and the distinctly distorted bass, everything is better.
The album, better listened to as a whole cohesive piece of art is traditionally broke up into songs but from this listener’s ear I feel talking about it from song to song does it a disservice. Each breezy trach fades in and out masterfully and churns with angst and darkness leading one into the emotion and escape that this record provides.
SOM is greater than the sum of their parts. Hailing from different bands in the Post-Rock/Post-Metal/Shoegaze genre such as CASPIAN, JUNIUS, AND CONSTANTS this 5 piece has found it’s sound and niche in an ever growing and ever expanding soundscape of bands.
Listen to and order the album:
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