Hot dang… Texas slingers trauma ray are teaming up with Philly’s Full Body 2, Monday, November 18th, to serve up a heaping plate of heavy shoegaze, topped off with a lil’ bit of emo-slanted Leaving Time. Gonna! Be! A ripper!
TRAUMA RAY
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Among the current wave of shoegaze revivalists, Fort Worth’s trauma ray rank as high as any at capturing its complexity, intensity, and expressive devastation. Since first making waves with a self-titled EP in 2018, the core songwriting duo of Uriel Avila and Jonathan Perez have expanded and refined the project’s vision and craft, culminating in their 12-track Dais debut, Chameleon. Rounded out by bassist Darren Baun, drummer Nicholas Bobotas, and guitarist Coleman Pruitt, the album both synthesizes and transcends its influences, a stormy fusion of downer hooks, apocalyptic beauty, and bulldozer riffs. One of trauma ray’s greatest gifts is their ability to make doomy, sledgehammer heaviness sound like an ear-worm, without production tricks or gimmicks: “Riff, verse, chorus, three guitar parts – that’s all you need.” The result is the essence of what Perez wants for the band: ” In general I never want to do things in the studio that we can’t play live, although it always sounds better live because the guitars are louder.”
FULL BODY 2
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“Full Body 2 an explorative band from Rochester, N.Y. have found their niche tapping into a bold blend of digital rock, shoegaze, and curated electronic chaos.Composed of Cassidy Rose Hammond, Dylan Vaisey, and Jack Chaffer, this trio created Full Body 2 in 2020 as a one-off project from their former indie-rock band Full Body. Full Body 2 provides us with music that encourages creativity. It is motivating and refreshing. They are defined by their unique use of sound collage and abstract vocal work. Full Body 2 is positive, energetic, and undeniably loud.” – WKNC 88.1 FM Blog (Michelangelo)
LEAVING TIME
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Since 2020, Leaving Time has created a distinct sound in the alternative rock realm, heard on their self-titled EP, and again on their 2022 follow-up, “II”. The band plays incredibly heavy both in recordings and live settings. With a foundation in hardcore bands, their attitude and expression transfer perfectly to this setting. Like their previous recordings, Leaving Time returned to local Florida engineer John Howard (Magnitude, Ecostrike) for their LP, primarily written throughout 2023. With the support of new master engineer Zac Montez (Cloakroom, Turnover, Nothing), this collection of songs sounds massive. The intro track builds a tense feeling with minimal guitar leads and heavy bass with toms. Later songs continue building on this feeling, like the explosive single, “Arm’s Length”. The flow of the songs allows listeners to reach these pressure release moments, like in “Waiting,” where drummer Jarod Whalen plays a mournful piano outro paired with an acoustic guitar. Small moments like these contrast the heaviness of the songs, showcasing Leaving Time’s dynamic songwriting.
