I’ve gone numb
I sleep all-day
trapped by fear
I’m losing my faith
Portland shoegaze outfit Lost Echoes have just released their debut album Stars, via Velouria Recordz. Stars capture the full range of the band’s sound: from dark, heavy, and brooding to soaring, anthemic and hopeful. Blending heavy riffs, psychedelic guitars, and a driving rhythm section, this quartet’s music blends dark, hypnotic grooves with classic shoegaze, post-punk, and darkwave, bringing to mind Love and Rockets, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Soft Kill, Beib Modern, and Swervedriver…with a dash of Seattle grunge for good measure. In particular, they belong in the same energy field as Slowdive, having been mastered by the band’s drummer Simon Scott himself.
Lost Echoes is comprised of David Gross (guitars/lead vocals), Justin Knauer (drums/synthesizers), Michael Lynch (guitars/vocals) and Brian Wilcher (bass guitars/vocals).
“David and Justin made the most of the pandemic summer of 2020, writing an amazing collection of songs that reflected how they were feeling at the time,” explains Wilcher. “Somehow, we seemed to come together cohesively even though we all recorded in different locations. What could have been very mechanical was actually an organic process that produced an album we’re very proud of.”
“Stay With You” is a standout track. The hypnotic backbeat anchors a feeling of hope despite despair, of loyalty and devotion in the face of adverse situations.
“What I Want”, in particular, has that heavy grunge feel, with raw vocals and minor chord melancholy. Lost Echoes delves into themes of love and loss, darkness and light, hopes and dreams, and futures past—at once both introspective and relatable. The entire album wavers between nihilism and faint glimmers of hope in the darkness; a commentary on the times as much as a universal truth for so many right now, particularly in the United States.
Stars is a cathartic journey through the depths of the heart, sombre and euphoric, like an expanding dream that lingers in its afterglow long after its lush and enveloping sounds shudder and fade, leaving the impression of a soft and dazzling cascade of shoegaze and dream-pop.
Listen below:
The LP is now available on digital and vinyl preorders on the band’s website. Vinyl shipping begins on September 9th.
Lost Echoes has appeared live with We Are Parasols, Xibling, Stargazer Lilies, Reveries, Ten Million Lights, True Primitives, This Blinding Light, and Black Ferns. They also performed at both the 2019 and 2022, Seattle Seagaze Festival.
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