The New Mourning – When The Light Fades (Noise Appeal Records)

Here’s another beautiful release from Noise Appeal Records, a prolific Austrian record label that, as far as I know, doesn’t have any bad releases in their catalog. They proved my point with a new release that recently arrived at Thoughts Words Action headquarters. I wasn’t familiar with this band. After reading the press sheet, I was assured The New Mourning consists of experienced musicians responsible for some incredible music released in the past couple of decades. The New Mourning has released several singles from 2020 till this year, and When The Light Fades is their debut full-length album that will blow you away with its cathartic ambiance.

When The Light Fades is not another typical rock album. You’ll notice as soon as you start listening to the introductory composition. Then, you’ll probably think that The New Mourning will raise the bar by investing in more dynamic performance on the second track, but that’s not going to happen. These musicians float in dreamy, calmy, soothing rock waters, and they solely rely upon the cathartic ambiance from scratch to finish. The band achieved the beforementioned atmosphere by stacking these tunes with cleverly assembled chord progressions, stripped-down basslines, and minimalistic drumming performances. Everything considering this band is about the particular moment you enter in a repetitious segment where their performance hypnotizes you to the max.

The most impressive thing about these repetitious segments is that they don’t sound boring. Quite the contrary, you’ll find these sequences entertaining. The New Mourning counts on your curiosity, and their performance relies upon your full attention. At first, this album may seem overly simplistic, but you’ll also hear heavy dosages of psychedelic rock once you delve deeper into the matter. That’s the fun part because you’ll notice When The Light Fades is not an overly simplistic shoegaze rock record but a comprehensive collection of fuzzy shoegaze psych-rock anthems, enhanced by generous servings of studio reverb. It’s a tremendous debut full-length that provides so many listening pleasures, and there’s no doubt you’ll gladly return to this piece of sonic art whenever you need some cathartic music. I guess Noise Appeal Records have released this one vinyl, so head over and grab a copy for yourself or your loved ones. It’s worth it.