PRICE:
$16.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Dark Waves
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
HPS 205CD HPS 205CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/10/2022

The year 2019 marked significant changes for Baltimore psychedelic-doom trio, Black Lung. Following the release of their third album, Ancients, guitarist and founding member Adam Bufano amiably departed the band and in November 2019, was replaced by guitarist Dave Fullerton. Just four months later, the reconfigured trio's plans for touring in support of Ancients were canceled as the world entered COVID-19 lockdown. In the existential dread, loss and uncertainty of the global pandemic, with the backdrop of malignant fascism and cultural enmity in the USA, Black Lung began writing the songs that would comprise their next record. There is no question that Dark Waves was conceived in hostile times. Dave Cavalier's lyrics reflect this hostility. Songs like "The Cog" and "Mad King" lament the weaponized ignorance of the propagandized American citizen, while "Awaken" and "The Path" muse on escapism and the false protection of dreams. Despite the apparent darkness, Dark Waves is not a cold or desolate sounding record. The band leaps forward from their previous releases with warmer, brighter sound crafting and more audacious songwriting. There are passages with a tangible sense of jubilation and excitement, as the band members revel in the recording process after more than a year of uncertainty and frustration. While in some ways Dark Waves offers a departure from prior Black Lung records, the band stays true to their roots in doom and psychedelic music, delivering eight songs packed with the frenzied, fuzzed-out guitar breakdowns, booming drums, and soulful vocals that longtime fans will appreciate. The decision to bring bass guitar prominently into the mix on Dark Waves adds new levels of depth and heaviness to Black Lung's songs. For fans of: All Them Witches, Queens of the Stone Age, The Flying Eyes.