Blue City, by Abrams

Blue City by Abrams, released 24 May 2024 1. Tomorrow 2. Fire Waltz 3. Etherol 4. Lungfish 5. Wasting Time 6. Death Om 7. Turn It Off 8. Narc 9. Crack Aunt 10. Blue City Fusing melody and dissonance, ABRAMS blast forth a cathartic mix of catchy, driving rhythms, soaring vocals and ethereal ambiance. Wielding elements of heavy rock, shoegaze, grunge and post-metal with ease and fluency, they create a crystalline heaviness that's bittersweet and nostalgic yet also gazes forward. The Denver band's arresting sound finds them sharing terrain with the likes of Torche and Cave-In, while their penchant for crunchy, irresistibly hooky riffs recalls alt-rock icons Hum and Quicksand. Even so, their swirling meld of influences isn't the totality of ABRAMS. Blue City is where genre-defying heaviness and perfect melodic songcraft converge, a sojourn through lush, cinematic passages and contemplative psychedelia. Its lyrics describe a metaphorical prison, a cold but familiar place where fear of change and the impossibility of action lead to paradoxical, crushing comfort.