Blackwater Holylight - Not Here Not Gone - VINYL LP

When Blackwater Holylight left their hometown of Portland OR three years ago, their mission was to escape the gloom of the Pacific Northwest and the placating comfort of familiarity. Aiming for the sunnier climes of LA, the band found themselves not only in a warmer environment, but in a blank slate landscape-one without jobs, longtime friend groups, and the easy retreat of old habits. And it was here, unencumbered by the contentment of security, that Blackwater Holylight began diligently working on their fourth full-length album, Not Here Not Gone.As with their previous work, Not Here Not Gone explores the duality of light and dark-menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals. Across their work, the listener gets a sense of empowerment at one turn, vulnerability the next. As drummer Eliese Dorsay describes it, Inchsome songs we're the predator, and some songs we're the prey.Inch The juxtaposition of confidence and uncertainty is never in as such stark relief as when one makes a life changing decision, which may explain how the band's relocation intensified their study in contrasts to intoxicating new heights on Not Here Not Gone.The title is the perfect description of the band's adjustment. InchIt's one foot in, one foot out,Inch vocalist and guitarist/bassist Sunny Faris explains. InchIt's about how you can lose people in your life but still have their presence and energy around you.Inch And indeed, listening to Not Here Not Gone, you get the distinct sense that Blackwater Holylight dragged some of the Northwest gloom down into Southern California. The opening chords of InchHow Will You FeelInch are drenched in the muddy weight of perpetually overcast skies. But a Jacob's Ladder of light shines through the scuzzy guitars in the f