"Heavy blankets of noise meet pop-driven clarity in a track that feels like the best kind of cold morning wake-up call."
Rivermind emerges from Switzerland with Nightlight and it feels like a heavy blanket being ripped off a window to let the cold morning air rush in. The band marries thick distortion with melodies that belong on a classic alternative station from the nineties but they keep things grounded in a messy reality that feels incredibly present. It starts with a hum and then explodes into a groove that demands your full attention because the tension is high and the release is even higher.
The bassline carries a weight that you usually find in the darkest corners of shoegaze and yet the track never feels bogged down or sluggish. Dreamy guitar textures swirl around the mix and they create a space that feels huge and intimate at the same time. You can hear the influence of bands like My Bloody Valentine in the way the noise becomes beautiful but Rivermind has a pop sensibility that makes the wall of sound accessible and fun.
Listening to Nightlight feels like rediscovering why you fell in love with loud music. It hits that primitive part of the brain that wants to hear a melody and a massive guitar riff and it does so with a grace that is hard to find in the current climate. You find yourself reaching for the volume knob and turning it up until the room shakes and the distortion fills every corner of your mind. Rivermind has created something that feels timeless and urgent and it leaves you wanting to hear whatever they come up with next.
