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Music’s cyclical nature has seldom been more brightly illuminated than via the current resurgence of interest in peculiar 90s phenomenon shoegaze. With everyone from black-metal misanthropes to dewy-eyed indie kids diving into the reverb-drenched melee, a band as distinctive as Wray could easily end up being overlooked.
But while many modern shoegazers err on the side of ethereal wistfulness, this trio remember that the best of those original bands were, at heart, red-blooded rock bands too. As such, this self-titled opening statement recalls the likes of Swervedriver, Ride and Dinosaur Jr, with the very noticeable shimmering whoosh of My Bloody Valentine thrown in for good measure.
But beyond admiring nods to a bygone era, these songs have plenty of freshness and fire to commend them, not least the wonderfully hypnotic May 15th, which thunders nimbly along on a motoring undercarriage that owes as much to Neu! as it does to Slowdive.
Similarly, the closing Relative revels in a psychedelic dream state that adds thrilling substance to what is, in essence, a lightly-expressed paean to the very earliest days of grunge./o:p
