In our opinion, the steady evolution from post-punk into indie rock hit peak bleakness with grunge and shoegaze at the turn of the ’90s. But thanks to a murky middle ground between those sounds, the advent of streaming platforms, and the modern ubiquity of indie rock, navigating that spectrum and contextualizing influence has never been easier. And that’s vital to understanding Single Lash‘s growth through the years.
Spearheaded by Nicolas Nadeau (chief songwriter, singer, and guitarist – often keyboardist and producer as well), this quartet’s spent the past decade-plus becoming one of Austin’s most elite when it comes to shoegaze and its adjacent genres. Single Lash’s impact really stacked up on 2018’s Providence, but like many others, the flow of full albums came to an abrupt halt with the onset of COVID. Well in just over a month, Single Lash finally leaps back into action (and reportedly tighter than ever before) with what’s set to be their most-polished collection to date, Ladida.
Today, after the early-August release of Ladida‘s lead single “What Time is it There?”, Single Lash unleashed another one from the new batch. Its title, “Clinging to Life” almost seems like a sly reference the four-piece’s impressive progression since their debut full-length Almost Breathing, but if not, you sure can hear the maturation between the two. Anchored by Nadeau’s gentlemanly lower-middle vocal register and expertly exaggerated, anglicized annunciation, “Clinging to Life” augments the retro UK sound in a way that still feels authentic to the movement’s roots, despite its crisp, modern mix. And by walking a tightrope of gloom and glistens, Single Lash manages to mingle with the English pioneers of post-punk without batting an eye. So crack open Single Lash’s latest cache with “Clinging”‘s overcast acoustics and transport your ears to cloudier climates, which we’ll hopefully have here in town by Ladida‘s October 13th release date.
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