It has been about two weeks or more since Torre Di Fine has published their second extended play release, a masterpiece that successfully marries qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production with subtle touches of hypnotic, addictive, irresistible nostalgia. Now, everyone who even remotely follows what’s happening on a contemporary scene knows that many bands are trying to emulate the ambiance explored by the greats many decades ago. Sadly, the majority fail in these attempts, often falling into a repetitious, bland, and boring loop that seems like reinventing the same old wheel over and over again. Thankfully, bands like Torre Di Fine avoid these clichés and deliver an atmosphere that will immediately envelop your listening experience, grab you by the collar, and launch you on a voyage through the expansive sonic universe worth experiencing over and over again. This fine piece of sonic artistry carries four incredible compositions, fully packed with some of the finest ideas and outstanding orchestrations you’ll hear in a while. Also, this level of dedication to the craft is rarely heard or seen nowadays, as Torre Di Fine poured heart and soul into every bit and piece that represents a tiny piece of a greater sonic puzzle. Sonically, Torre Di Fine let their music speak louder than lyrics and the visual aspect. Less polished than their previous release, this EP arrives with more warmth, rawness, and sincere emotion, distilled into four tracks that will instantly force you to spin them over again. Perhaps band dominantly explored all eras of shoegaze music, but you’ll unquestionably stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from slowcore and post-rock. Together, these elements build almost cinematic ambiance, where all those intricate soundscapes collide harmoneously and create a colossal slab of well-articulated, pleasant, ethereal noise. Also, Torre Di Fine uses all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate their music to new heights while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Also, those levitations between modern techniques and the subtle touch of nostalgia that vividly mimics late eighties and early nineties shoegaze music give this release such a deeper meaning. Therefore, these experimentations with various approaches, different techniques, and many complementary styles resulted in a magnificent sonic display that will not only appeal to the lonstanding shoegaze fans but anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled, flawlessly performed, and utterly meaningful music.
This epic sonic journey commences with “Understatic,” a fine piece of artistry that successfully marries only the finest elements into a catchy, memorable, engaging whole. Torre Di Fine emit calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, otherwordly vocal harmonies, sonic maneuvers, and rhythmic patterns with such precision and finesse without sounding predictable and bland. Their combination of soothing, arpeggiated chord progressions and more powerful, heavily distorted riffs gives this track more than necessary dynamics, while the generous servings of reverb, echo, and delay effects bring that cave-like atmosphere. This is a true representative of their luxuriant, thoughtfully assembled sound, and a perfect example of what you might expect from the remainder of this extended play. This voyage continues with “Gengle,” a comprehensive collection of cleverly assembled interplays between guitars. You’ll notice how all those gigantic, abrasive guitar riffs collide with memorable leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers while the intricate basslines deliver more groove, power, and detail to the mix. The exceptional drumming, based upon complex, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeps everything in line while dictating groove and depth. The song ends with a pleasant atmospheric soundscape that could easily serve as an overture for the next track. Torre Di Fine continue with the same sheer intensity and power like on the previous two track, yet “Overbreath” seems even more colossal, melodic, and detailed. It has to do with all those delicate guitar layers, carefully assembled and composed, not to spoil the remainder of the instrumentation. The vocals bring another layer of melody and harmony through calm, whispery vocal lines that seamlessly levitate between low, mid, and high notes with such grace. You’ll also notice the additional vocal layers, back vocals, and sing-alongs lurking around and bringing more anthemic vibes to this track. You’ll also notice how this particular song shines with all those qualities that defined eighties and nineties music, yet Torre Di Fine keep their signature moves upfront, delivering one of the best shoegaze tracks you’ll hear this year. “Acquiesce” exemplifies everything Torre Di Fine intended to achieve with this material. It’s a composition free from all the polish and overly produced sound, delivering a true shoegaze drenched in heavily reverby, abrasive, powerful sonic and rhythmic acrobatics. The leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and riffs are more complex, heavier, and distorted, with an emphasis on all those profoundly detailed interplays between guitar. The bass guitar strikes from beneath, offering rich, deep, dense, heavy low-ends while acting like a binding element between guitars and drums. The drums bring those slow, groovy, cleverly accentuated patterns, keeping everything fully controlled while improvising during the particular segments. Everything sounds so good, with each instrument having its place and purpose.
Torre Di Fine has created a perfect material, a masterpiece worth revisiting over and over again. With so many brilliant ideas and marvelous instrumentations involved, their experience, knowledge, creativity, skills, and talent shine in the limelight. If you’re a passionate fan of shoegaze, slowcore, and post-rock, “Ep2” will be a perfect pick for you. It’s definitely one of the finest shoegaze releases you’ll experience this year. Therefore, head to your favorite streaming platform and listen to it loud.
Thoughts Words Action 