Having been a fan of Deftones since somewhere close to the age of 8, I’ve always had a particular adoration for the blending of ‘heavier’ sounds with ‘softer’ ones. Cold Gawd is a group that, in my opinion, make for an exceptional standard of doing just that, cutting their own path no matter how much they may also wear their influences. In March of 2022, while on tour with my own band, it only took the 4-minute duration of their then-latest single, “Moving To California In March”, to sell me as a fan and promptly follow them ever since. Funny enough, it was only about two years after that I’d end up first joining on and writing for Everything Is Noise. So to be here, now, getting to write about their latest, sophomore release, I’ll Drown On This Earth, feels quite cathartic to say the least; spoiler alert – the album is really awesome.
Let’s face it, shoegaze music has had a big resurgence within the last 5-10 years. Something about the gritty, hazy, dreamy, reverb-laden sound you typically hear as a trademark within the genre has proven to be an intoxicating placebo of emotionally-driven artform, that’s subscribed so many to its pure, euphoric trance induced upon all who listen. Returning nearly two years later, Cold Gawd have now added 8 new doses to that ethereal wave of euphoric bliss. If you happened to have missed it before, God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here presented a debut of the group’s shoegazey prowess, having just signed on with Dais Records, and while I absolutely can see why the label took the band under their wing, Cold Gawd bring (to my ears, at least) a much different level to the tropes they fall under – a breath of fresh air, if you will.
Matthew Wainwright has an exceptional talent of composing dreamy, hazy, grungy, emotional soundscapes that breach the surfaces and stream right into the nervous system. With I’ll Drown On This Earth, we’re treated to a fine balance between a gritty, somewhat-raw, and grungy aura about each track, while also presenting a more polished, fine-tuned production value in tandem. The result is a pinnacle of the group’s highlights, and it’s tough for me to point out any single favorite track simply because I’ve found myself enamored with it front to back, and that’s even after about 5 listens as I type this! Cold Gawd stand out in a way that indicates a moulded of their own signature style within the shoegaze realm; a sound that, to my ears, almost seems to embody the West Coast, as I can’t listen to any of these songs without thinking about roaming the streets of Los Angeles or somewhere out in the desert during an evening somewhere between Summer’s end and Fall’s beginning – maybe that’s why they released this about in that timeframe?
Some of my favorite tracks include the two singles, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name” and “Gorgeous”, as well as “Tappan” and “Nudism”, amongst others. If I’m being honest, I could write each track of this off as a banger, but I hear something particularly special about “Portland”, track 2, which almost instantly won me over on the album upon first listen. I had to check the available liner notes, expecting a saxophonist credit to be found somewhere, because of this beautiful little melody that follows the chorus vocals, played just underneath it. As it turns out, the part is performed on guitar, but has a sound and style that reminisces one of those alluring ’80s hits that you’d hear a memorable sax line in. Cold Gawd may not be any Men at Work or Huey Lewis & The News, but they sure did write a likewise unforgettable hook here, and it wouldn’t be their first or last by any means. This is one of those songs that makes me feel like I’m standing under a big neon-lights sign in the middle of a city at night, waiting for a cab to pick me up right after a great time out late with people I love; not sure the lyricism or intended mood was going for that, but off that atmosphere it provides alone, it’s getting plenty of spins from me for sure.
With tracks “Tappan” and “Nudism”, we’re given some subtle callbacks to artists like Daughter Darling, Massive Attack, and maybe even some Portishead. Much of Cold Gawd‘s sound seems to involve hard riffs with even harder emotions driving them, but on these songs we’re given more of a clean-guitar-driven soundscape that is like something straight out of an ’80s alternative dream-come-true. A fine mix of haunting and hypnotizing, it’s gonna be hard not to want to open your windows up and put this on with a nice scented candle and some dim lights during a crisp Fall evening, but even with the remaining ‘summer weather’ evenings we may still have, these two match the mood just the same. The atmosphere of each almost give me a cinematic sort of vision, too – just give A24 some time, I’m sure we’ll see the placement of either for something wild soon enough.
The opening track, “Gorgeous”, really does just kind of summarize the album. Anyone who has an itch for the ‘pretty/ugly‘ type of music, as Stephen Carpenter once described Deftones‘ similar signature sound, will absolutely find themselves in love with this record, as well as Cold Gawd in general. If you’re the type of person who enjoys visits to the beach in October, this record is absolutely a must-have for your collection. Even if you’re just a casual shoegaze enjoyer, I’d still classify this as a must-listen for your ears and a must-have for your vinyl collection. By the time you’re reading this article, pre-orders will have been well sent out, but should you find yourself proving my prediction accurate and wanting this on vinyl, there’s still time to acquire one via the band’s Bandcamp as well as their merch store! You should also absolutely follow them on Instagram and keep an eye out for whenever they play a show nearest you.
Cold Gawd: the West Coast homies sure to make you say, ‘Oh ma gawd, I love this shit!‘
