A Beautifully Edgy New Single from Silk
The latest single release from Silk brings out the project's classic shoegaze approach, doing so with a specifically vaster undertone and strength in sound sculpting with guitar tones and textures that create walls of sonic presence along with cinematic pull and emotional intensity that all come through with shining colors but in this edgy atmosphere.
The song is called "July", and one of the things that I enjoyed about this track is the energy level and how close-fisted and hard-hitting it could sound, along with how drifting and airy it could feel.
I think the combination of those two aspects alone makes this something that you get swallowed up by, and I enjoyed getting swallowed up by it and eventually washed away with it as well.
Everything about this performance is graceful. There is this elegance to the tones and performances of this track, but there's also, again, a little bit of edginess which, in my opinion, comes mostly from the drumming.
The drums are very heavy. They are pounding and immense with the symbols that ring out and crash, kick drums that cut through everything, and snares that hit with a bit of thunder, which all go so well with that drifting but alternative soundscape the guitars and bass are giving off.
Throughout this, you also have some underlying notes that feel like they're coming from synths but also could be guitars. They are deeper and add additional depth to the melodies and progressions that the guitars are performing.
The whole thing is very orchestrated. I enjoy the aspect of how it was put together because you can tell there was a lot of attention to certain kinds of details during the performance, but also the aftermath.
The mix of a song like this is incredibly important when it comes down to capturing the right kind of aesthetic, especially when it comes to a genre like shoegaze.
Shoegaze is a genre that brings elements of grunge and heavy music, but also that expansive, ambient, and spacious underbelly, and Silk really put it together so incredibly well.
Whoever mixed this absolutely understood the mission. The song does have the depth and distance that it's supposed to have. That atmospheric aesthetic is absolutely captured properly, and I fell right into this world super easily.
The vocals call out. They have long, extended, and melodic notes that sort of build the intensity at times and are also delivered with certain levels of emotional backbone that go right along with the feel and vibe of the song itself.
This track brought those variants together with such a seamless approach. The way the music creates a gigantic wave that crashes down and again, creates that huge wall of sound and sonic drive, along with a smooth and spacious, cinematic and robust overcoat.
Again, it was in part due to the mix that this feels the way it does. The guitars are drenched in reverb. As a matter of fact, a lot of the instrumentation is riddled with the effect. This, in turn, gives you that depth and distant feeling.
All of this was thought out when creating the track itself, and in that post-production stage, they knew exactly what to do to make that sound bigger.
It's enough to swim through.
Now, being a bit of a fan of the project and having the privilege of reviewing some previous releases from it, we are aware of the man behind pretty much everything that you hear.
Michael Smyth is the one at the helm of the project and Silk is absolutely, 100% his brainchild.
The songwriter performs all the instruments from bass guitars to drums, electric guitars, and even does the vocals.
The song was engineered by Michael as well, which is how you know that there is a particular vision for the song that came to fruition.
Mixed and mastered by Alan McGreevy at Badlands Studios, the single was finalized, and you hear this ocean of heavy-handed drive, depth, and elegance, all with that heavy edge and rock backing, delivering a gigantic sound.
This was something that I enjoyed a lot. It's the kind of stuff that you go for a walk on a cloudy day and listen to. It makes me think of my youth.
You can hear a lot of different influences coming into play, but that '90s, underground, heavy shoegaze is beautifully done and perfectly executed, in my personal opinion.
I would definitely check this out. If you're a fan of shoegaze, you'll see that this project is exactly what it's all about.
Take a listen to see exactly what I mean.
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