Space Movies – Space Movies EP

Every once in a while, we stumble upon bands whose music not only shines with all the finest properties of alternative music, but also includes so many subgenres, layers, enhancements, decorations, tiny nuances, and other embellishments and details, making their recordings among the standout releases we’ve heard in a while. The self-titled debut extended play by Space Movies, released via Plan 9 Records on October 13th, is unquestionably one of those records that fall into that particular category. Across six incredible compositions, the band showcases impressive songwriting, flawless composing, brilliant ideas, and outstanding musicianship. Perhaps alternative rock reigns supreme here, as Space Movies incorporated only the finest properties of the genre within each song, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon many complementary styles such as grunge, noise rock, garage, shoegaze, dream pop, indie, and many more. The best part about these experiments with so many sonic ingredients is how the band remains loyal to the primary sonic direction while the other genres accentuate and elevate everything to new heights. You can hear how all the creativity, talent, experience, and knowledge shine through every vocal harmony, melody, riff, bassline, and beat, and Space Movies sounds even better with every upcoming song. This self-titled EP also carries qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production, so you’ll hear everything the band intended to achieve with it. Lyrically, the band deals with various emotional states, moods, situations, and circumstances, making Space Movies EP a highly relatable material that will undoubtedly appeal to not only alternative, noise rock, and shoegaze fans, but anyone who appreciates exceptional songwriting, composing, and performance. The band poured heart and soul into this material, and it is unquestionably hearable from start to finish. It’s one of those recordings that rewards repeated listens, and you should immediately check it out.

This epic sonic journey begins with “May/Hem,” a marvelous opening tune that demonstrates what you might expect from the remainder of this record. With heavy, generously distorted guitar riffs, harmonies, and melodies perfectly paired with intricate, warm-sounding basslines, and groovy, powerful, well-accentuated rhythmic patterns, Space Movies shapes a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. At first, the vocals are calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, like in those perfect shoegaze songs, but all of a sudden, they go an octave higher, making “May/Hem” even more captivating. By now, you are already fully aware that Space Movies are capable of delivering impressive, bone-crushing songs, but they go a step further with “I Look So Deeply Within Myself.” This beautiful modern shoegaze composition packs fascinating themes, melodies, harmonies, riffs, and other sonic maneuvers, crafted with such precision and finesse to satisfy even the pickiest shoegaze fans. In the meantime, the rhythm section brings warmth, depth, clarity, melody, and heaviness through detailed, deep low ends and more groove and a steady pace with a comprehensive collection of thoughtfully assembled beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. The vocals remain as calm as possible throughout the entire song, acting as a counterbalance to all those profoundly heavy instrumentations. With “Red Honda Fit,” Space Movies introduce more grunge, stoner, doom, and other similar styles to their music. The riffs are somewhere between sweet fuzz and heavy distortion, bringing addictive, hypnotic, irresistible themes, while the vocal performance offers a soulful, passionate, emotional performance, commanding attention, elevating all the orchestrations to an entirely new level, and guiding listeners on an epic journey through the expansive sonic universe.

“Lament Configuration” follows in the same footsteps as the previous songs. This composition also arrives with a perfect structure, decorated with clever arrangements, profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and outstanding musicianship. Each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver has its place and purpose here, making it another soulful, heavy, groovy grunge, alternative, stoner rock tune. With “Key Of Yea,” Space Movies deliver a slice of modern alternative rock music, decorated with some of the finest shoegaze and dream pop sonic maneuvers. With a soulful, passionate, confident, melodic vocal performance that seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes, guitars that deliver all those heavy riffs and chord progressions drenched in generous servings of distortion, low-end that brings bone-crushing power, and excellent rhythmic sequences, the band crafted an exceptional alternative rock song that will immediately end up on your playlist. This incredible journey comes to an end with “HandsMeDowns,” another perfect modern grunge composition where the band fires from all cylinders. You’ll immediately notice how those incredible guitar riffs wrap around your listening apparatus and refuse to let go long after the last notes fade away. These guitars pair perfectly with impressive vocal performance, which is solely responsible for all the emotional depth, complexity, and additional melody here. You’ll be even more surprised when Space Movies lean to even much heavier sounds as the song approaches the end, with those half-time beats and groovy basslines offering immense support. Such a fitting closure to an excellent extended play release, worth spinning over and over again.

With their debut EP, Space Movies have proved that even underground music genres like alternative, noise rock, grunge, shoegaze, dream pop, and indie can still sound innovative, fresh, unique, and exciting. Across six marvelous compositions, the band showcases mind-blowing creativity, talent, experience, and knowledge rarely heard or seen nowadays. Space Movies has created a masterpiece where every composition carries beautiful vocal harmonies, lush guitar work, intricate basslines, and groovy beats. If you love underground music from the bottom of your heart, you should not miss this exceptional debut. Head to your favorite streaming platform and listen to it loud.