Written by Ave Thomsen
Sound
Raw Blue takes the listener on an immersive journey through shoegaze’s thicker atmospheric feelings. It relies heavily on a “quiet-loud” dynamic structure and is more pronounced than Whirr’s past records. I think this greatly benefits them at most points in the album, but it occasionally falls flat.
The guitar tones are very rich and hazy, as often seen with the shoegaze genre. The reverb and distortion toe the line between melody and noise, sometimes stepping a little too far over. Most of the vocals are secondary to the guitar, making them feel like part of the soundscape rather than an anchor in the foreground. The whole sound of the album prioritizes mood over clarity. That said, some transitions are too abrupt, and quiet moments can feel too quiet, which means the loud parts hit harder but also can feel clunky or jarring the listener. A standout and well done twist is “Enjoy Everything,” which features a trumpet solo that shifts the texture of the record. It comes as an unexpected but appreciated change in their sound.
Track Reviews
Raw Blue
I love this song as an opener because it feels like a slow descent into the sound of the rest of the album’s fog. The vocals are practically vapor, which some appreciate as “immersive” and others just call “buried. ”
Collect Sadness
This track is probably the strongest of the whole album for its actually memorable melody underneath all the haze and distortion. It’s the sweet spot of shoegaze, finding a spot right between melancholic and harsher sounds without losing atmosphere.
Swing Me
This song has a drum groove and guitar loop that feel like a hook, which is unusual for Whirr’s established sound. It is hazy in a way that feels intentional rather than muddy.
Everyday is The Same
This captures the energy Whirr has been giving with this whole album release. It’s very static, numb, and repetitive. It’s the perfect dissociative sound that critics constantly scorn.
Crush Tones
The blown out guitars are the highlight of this track. It is so warm it feels like a noisy blanket. It blurs too much to be a standout record but still fits in with the general vibe.
Days I Wanna Fade Away
The lyrics are very on the nose, something rarely seen in Whirr’s other works. I think this makes it a really great introductory track for someone first getting into the band and shoegaze in general because it maintains a more basic sound structure. The sound collapses beautifully towards the end, making you feel like you really are fading away.
All Mine
This track sounds like old Whirr. It’s heavy without being too loud and the vocals barely come out as a whisper underneath all the fuzz. It feels like there is something darker beneath the surface.
Worries Bloom
Like “Crush Tones” this is not a particularly memorable track. It overly relies on being mood-based and ends up not feeling structured enough.
Walk Through Space
This song it probably the most likely to be skipped based on mood. The sound is distant, slow, and dissociative. It’s one you can only take so much of.
Enjoy Everything
The title of this one is extremely ironic, invoking instead feelings of emptiness and monotony. Its sound drifts off like a thought you forgot mid-sentence. Out of all the songs of this album the standouts are “Swing Me”, “Collect Sadness”, and “Enjoy Everything” as favorites. The ones that fall flat are “Crush Tones” and “Worries Bloom.”
Strengths
• The album is fantastic at setting moods and not losing or changing them halfway through. The layers overall evoke deep melancholy that puts the listener in a dreamlike state
• This album is rooted in traditional shoegaze, but Whirr is able to introduce more uncommon instrumentation (e.g. brass) into the genre, creating a more dynamic sound than their past works.
Weaknesses
• It is very easy to lose lyrical clarity, so those who prefer distinct delivery might find this album to be frustrating.
• Some tracks follow too familiar quiet-to-loud arcs that seem formulaic and insincere at times.
Verdict
Raw Blue feels like a bold and strong return for Whirr. They’ve maintained their signature shoegaze sounds with refined ambition. Its dynamic swings and inconsistent vocal mixes leave edges exposed, but the strengths of it outweigh the flaws, making it their best work yet. Either way, it’s a compelling statement from Whirr in their catalog. In many ways it feels like a culmination of all their previous works. It has the hazy walls of Pipe Dream, the crushing weight of Sway, and the lush dreaminess of Feels Like You while still pushing forward into new sound. It feels bigger, more cinematic, and more defined than their past, setting them apart from other active shoegaze bands.