by Kris Handel
Toronto based four-piece Hot Garbage return with their sophomore full length, Precious Dream, and with it they expand on the intensely raucous garage-psych punk of earlier releases with a bit more focus on keyboard driven shoegaze. Make no mistake, the band still retain quite a bit of the edge of their prior records but they also continue to prod further into fuzzy psych explorations, their fury mixed with detachment. The vocals of siblings Juliana and Alex Carlevaris are often obscured by overdriven guitar and swirling synths, joined by a rhythm section of wild crashing drums and nimble and dive-bombing bass perilously keeping things precariously tethered together. With Precious Dream there is a bit of a shrouded darkness lurking under everything as washes of distortion add a dream-like texture to the frequently intense grinding, create something akin to Jesus and Mary Chain mixed with Times New Viking’s attitude.
"Snooze You Lose" comes storming out of the gates as drums clatter along. The reverb drenched vocals and hazy almost unhinged keyboards of Juliana Carlevaris whirl and wheeze, pierced by fuzzy guitar leads. The recessed vocals produce a slightly haunted and woozy feel that adds to the atmosphere and disorientation of the propulsive careening instrumentation at a brisk and biting pace. "Lowering" is driven by a screaming and repeating guitar line as drum fills circle and break tempo. Synths wobble around the periphery and lock into step with a snapping and loose bass. Hot Garbage play with time signatures here and the song’s structure is quite intriguing and surprisingly intricate as instruments blend and emerge from each other in unique ways.
"Traveller / Caravan" hits the listener with a bit of slow doominess that gets broken up by surprisingly chiming psych guitar lines and keys that whistle and swirl between bending bass. There is quite a bit of foreboding mixed into the musical twisting supported by the intertwining and chant like vocal approach of the Carlevaris siblings, creating a bridge between the heavy and darker drifting tonality at play. "Tunnel Traps" brings a buzzing My Bloody Valentine like drone with a drifting backbone as guitars atmospherically produce a buzzing haze while synths bubble and swarm warmly underneath. Hot Garbage slow the pace down and create a little bit of a motorik groove that allows for the guitars to jab and explore the space with blustery droning and explosions of noise.
Precious Dream makes a point of showing off the band’s range as they swerve between a hazy shoegazing influence mixed with atmospheric groove, the intensity of early New Order, and a warped post-punk vision. Hot Garbage manage to incorporate a proggy inventiveness intertwined with their driving gaze that allows for the listener to truly immerse themselves in their enveloping cloudy sonics. Precious Dream is a record that is full of surprises and unpredictability in a remarkably delightful manner. Hot Garbage are pushing themselves into worthwhile exploration while never coming unglued from their musical foundations. This is a record that is hard to truly wrap your mind around but one that provides a great deal of fun and pleasure from the experience.