Listen to the Grungy Shoegaze of AXLAUSTADE’s “Ouverture”

Instrumental grunge trio, AXLAUSTADE, hails from Montreal. The band announces their self-titled debut LP via La Tribu, and with it, the single “Ouverture”.

The distorted, reverb-heavy sound of Ouverture stakes out the trio’s place in grunge’s future, creating new sonic bridges with the ashes of the past. The song has multiple nods to icons of grunge/shoegaze/alternative of the early 90s: Pixies certainly come to mind, with effervescent vocals humming through the hypnotic bass line and steady guitar riffs. Sonic Youth’s sludgy sound also leaks through, as well as The Breeders and Sleater-Kinney.

“One of the first pieces we ever did,” the band reflects. “The jam was good and the tune came to us very quickly, almost identical to the recorded version… minus the bongos, voices, and Streets of Rage noises. It’s meant to be the story of a band who plays a very early gig in a daytime festival. Everyone in the band is hitting the same nail in a different way. It really brings a lot of energy to the song. It makes you want to dance like you’re in trance or to play percussion with anything you could find in front of you. Haunting vocals and unexpected sounds really add a haunting vibe to the song.”

The song was recorded in Montreal by Èric Lamothe, mixed in Los Angeles by Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Viagra Boys, Charli XCX) and mastered in LA by Grammy winner Mike Bozzi (“This Is America,” Childish Gambino.)

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