There’s something amazing about the cyclical nature of influences. A solid two decades after many thought they had head the end of shoegaze, with the mid-to-late ‘90s break ups of some of the genre greats from My Bloody Valentine to the Jesus And Mary Chain, a new generation of indie bands are rediscovering the music and layering on the fuzz and distortion with a new sense of purpose. Among the most promising is Atlanta-based trio, A Drug Called Tradition.
Their debut, “Medicine Music,” does more than simply ape the template set forth in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s; the band mixes in plenty of psychedelia and surprisingly, even snatches of southern rock. The result is wholly original and pretty impressive. If you can get past the slightly indulgent eight-minute opener “With You Miss You,” the rest of the album is well worth the time. The stand out “Feeling Slow,” is a thing of lo-fi beauty, as are tracks like “Again and Again” and the feedback-heavy “Depression Stone.”
Not to be left behind as a new generation of bands dig deep into the shoegaze record crates, My Bloody Valentine toured as recently as 2013 and The Jesus And Mary Chain just put out a new album.
A Drug Called Tradition – Medicine Music/Psych Army Intergalactic/2017 / https://adrugcalledtradition.bandcamp.com/