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Shoreline

Growth

Written by: PP on 21/03/2022 16:59:02

A friend recommended that I check out Münster, Germany-based Shoreline, and their sophomore album "Growth", suggesting it's one of the highlight releases so far this year. He's not wrong: it features a complex, depth-laden soundscape that's difficult to pigeonhole into just one genre given its inherent diversity throughout. Some segments are distinct plays on the classic quiet/loud dynamic as you might recall from your favorite mid-2000s emo/post-hardcore records. Elsewhere, indie-flavored nostalgia and elements of punk rock and even hardcore punk are incorporated into the sound, resulting in quite the genre cocktail that should draw in fans from all over the map to this one.

Listening to the emotionally charged screams and the casual tempo of opener "I Grew Up On Easy Street" and the subsequent couple of tracks that follow, the first band that should pop into your mind is Brand New on circa-"The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" era. Here, the soundscape is a similar type of depth-laden one with lurking aggression just underneath the surface. Quiet/loud dynamics are heavily leaned upon resulting in somber melodies transitioning into soaring, coarsely delivered screams shortly after.

Thereafter, eerie parallels to Polar Bear Club's debut album "Sometimes Things Just Disappear" are audible instrumentally on "Western Dream", among others. We're talking angular guitars with just the right amount of distortion to encompass the sound in a sense of raw complexion that rings nicely in the mix. Similarly, "Madre" sounds like a screamier version of bands like Basement and Citizen, playing further on alternative rock drenched in nostalgia and grungy vibes.

Later, "Sanctuary" introduces a hardcore punk expression. Despite its ambient sections, you can certainly make the argument that we've widely traversed the available genre map, yet somehow Shoreline keeps it all together where the expression feels like a uniform one regardless of the stylistic variety in play.

The second half of the record is brilliant with "Konichiwa" (feat Koji), "White Boys Club", "Disconnected", and "Holy Communion" all offering an intricate, yet infectious sound. Were it not for the DIY production that leaves the sound a little too compact and flat-sounding for its own good, "Growth" would be a massive record with the potential to blow up the band in a similar vein as Brand New did back then. But even in its current state, the songwriting is excellent and the result memorable and, occasionally, awe-inspiring.

Download: Western Dream, Konichiwa, Disconnected, Holy Communion
For the fans of: Brand New, Polar Bear Club, Basement, As Cities Burn, Citizen
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.02.2022
End Hits Records