Returning after a decade-long hiatus, Helsinki-based Waves of the Echo recaptures their signature blend of Britpop and shoegaze on the stellar single “Words.” Recorded in early March following a winter of rehearsals, the track serves as the first follow-up to their 2015 debut, Fading Daylight, Bright Nights. The production explores the permanence of hurtful language through a thundering, ’80s-inspired soundscape.
Eerie synths ring out with pulsating intensity to start, invoking a sort of ’80s horror-film nostalgia as plucky reflections move alongside. An anthemic guitar-laden fervor then incorporates seamlessly, intertwining with the momentum-filled synths for a wholly absorbing beginning. A moody vocal entry arrives as a post-punk bass immersion and solemn guitar twangs shine. “They haunt me,” the vocals push into the magnetic chorus, where synths re-incorporate cohesively and with a vibrantly affecting passion.
The track’s production consumes in its artful momentum, stylishly maneuvering between the sturdy post-punk verses and a more expansive central hook — “no matter where I run…” — where both the vocal emotion and synth involvement heighten. An instrumental bridge progresses enjoyably into the track’s final minute, dazzling with whirring synth tones and head-nodding rhythmic energy. A darkly anthemic success from Waves of the Echo, “Words” delights as a tour-de-force comeback from the Helsinki-based rockers.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
