A commanding display of alt-rock and shoegaze savvy, In The Blur is the sophomore album from Pacific Northwest band Waves Crashing. Following their debut, Effection — which landed among our top albums of 2025 — this eight-track follow-up sharpens their signature shoegaze textures and post-punk rhythms, deftly tackling industry pressures and societal division beneath an absorbing array of driving, multi-layered distortion. The album’s lead single and opening track, “Feel The Glow,” caught our ears last month with its fantastic shoegaze/alt-rock synergy, and the rest of In The Blur maintains that strong level of songwriting and production.
A blast of whirring, gauzy guitars lifts up “Circles” right away, exuding a sense of searching amidst the fervent, fuzzy guitars. “In the vast beyond we search the waterways, to discover ancient blues for artistry,” Joshua Calisti’s soaring vocals let out, achieving an added twangy resonance during the “no guarantee of higher ground” chorus. Its perspectives on a demanding music industry and how quality artistry often goes overlooked melds with a bursting rock ardor, showcasing the band’s knack for both impactful lyricism and layered guitar-forward sophistication.
Another standout track, “Marine Garden” exudes a breezier charm, with seagull squawking leading into a hypnotic jangling and “walking along the sandy path” lyrical contemplation. The production here shifts from the opening two tracks’ ardent rock appeal into a dreamier post-punk tint, fondly reminiscent of Wild Nothing in the lush vocal presence and jangly guitar delights. “Divide” arrives next, returning to a shoegaze-y ferocity initially, and seamlessly moving between spacious contemplation and heavier distortion; perspectives of a divided society stir as well, alongside.
In addition to the album’s consistently enthralling original songwriting, a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” unveils prior to the album’s finale. Dreamy synths and steady rhythms swell into a heavier, warming distortion as the track’s classic chorus hits. Waves Crashing’s re-imagining plays wonderfully, utilizing their ability to traverse between lush and ardent tonal realms. Then comes album finale “Next To Me,” a fully satisfying send-off that ventures from first-half fuzziness to a more nocturnal jangling. Bolstered by lyrical catharsis tracing an escape from existential dread into the quiet sanctuary of love, it closes the album with impactful appeal. In The Blur is another wholly immersive success from Waves Crashing.
