From the charming neighborhood of Barnum, Colorado, A Shoreline Dream has been a fixture in the prog-shoegaze scene for nearly twenty years. Now, Ryan Policky and Erik Jeffries have unveiled their latest offering, Whitelined. This album emerged from a serendipitous encounter with Mark Gardener at a Ride gig in Denver, leading to an artistic partnership. During Ride’s tour intervals, they co-wrote and co-produced three tracks, culminating in a year-long creative endeavor completed at the end of last year.
“Right after what was honestly one of the best shows in recent memory, we floated the idea of working together,” recalls Policky. The collaboration spanned the remainder of 2023, nearing completion around the one-year mark. “It was an incredible experience. Mark was stylistically open and the ideas flowed freely. I believe we created something neither of us fully anticipated.”
The album’s thematic core is the exploration of the hidden realities behind every beautiful facade. The music and dynamics were crafted spontaneously, resulting in a raw and unfiltered sound, with only about 60% of recorded material making the final cut. This unstructured approach reflects the band’s commitment to capturing genuine emotion and uncovering hidden truths. “The flow was crucial, and we finally landed on a set of songs that embody the current A Shoreline Dream vibe,” Policky notes.
The album opens with the hazy title track, a song that depicts a sense of being caught in an endless, chaotic journey. The lyrics emphasize the feeling of being “in a runaway,” highlighting the inner turmoil and lack of control.
The lead single, “Everything Turns,” features Gardener on vocals and combines shimmering walls of sound with turbulent percussion and ethereal vocals. The track encapsulates shoegaze chaos infused with Colorado coolness. The lyrics, steeped in wistful resignation, depict a weary soul grappling with lost strength and faded dreams, surrounded by empty imagery and an unresponsive system. Amidst this turmoil, there’s a resilient insistence on holding on, staying strong, and perhaps letting go. The party may have moved on, but the refrain persists: hold on, stay strong, because in the end, everything turns.
Watch the video for “Everything Turns” below:
Next comes the swirling Fear, a gauzy and ethereal dream that plunges into an inescapable situation that gnaws at one’s guts. The aptly titled Falling Back to Reality is a propulsive post-punk journey, with angular guitar and driving bass that, with ensnaring vocals, portrays a wide-eyed return to stark surroundings, heavy with disillusionment. The trek back is riddled with lost connections and haunting emptiness, yet it calls to conquer fear, dream again, and balance between hope and despair.
The Eno-esque experimental psychedelia of “Written in Dust” once again features Gardener and, with its crystalline melodies, captures nostalgic reflections on simpler times. The music contrasts sharply with the disconnection and longing of the present, speaking of collecting past remnants, contemplating under the sun, and finding solace in nature.
Following a brief one-minute interlude, “A Spark,” the album plunges into a chaotic, guitar pedal-driven storm of soft noise and impassioned vocals in “A Simple Path of Destruction.” The track vividly portrays a struggle with identity and the impact of absence, prompting contemplation on whether one can truly be themselves without another.
“Lost for Words” channels the ethereal guitar work and bass melodies of 90s shoegaze, post-punk, and psychedelic music, creating a bridge between the classic styles of 4AD and Creation Records. This leads into “The Dream,” a song that immerses listeners in a dense and surreal dream-pop ambiance that feels subtle Madchester in its graceful groove. Lyrically, “The Dream” conveys a message of liberation and freedom, centered around the idea of flying without burdens tonight.
The album culminates with Gardener reclaiming the spotlight on the grand and powerful “Hollow Crown.” The vocal harmonies eloquently delve into the cyclical nature of endings and beginnings, evoking a longing for companionship and change. Despite lofty aspirations, the song acknowledges the ceaseless onward journey, embracing the human experience and confronting personal vulnerabilities.
Whitelined is now available as a limited edition on 180g white vinyl. The album was mastered by Mark Kramer, known for his work with Urge Overkill and Bongwater, ensuring it was primed for direct-to-vinyl production. The album art, a reworked photo taken by Policky at Yellowstone in 2008, now rendered as an oil-on-photo on canvas, complements the record’s aesthetic.
Listen to the album below and order here.
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