Tanukichan's 2018 debut Sundays was a low-key, brilliant late-period shoegaze album that took the sound's template and stripped it down to basics, enveloping the listener in a warm bath of sound without overwhelming them with effects and tricks. The focus was purely on Hannah van Loon's breezy, inward-looking vocals, the pristine melodies, warped guitars that swam through the mix dub-style, and Chaz Bear's subtle production. It was the kind of record that's hard to top, and with Gizmo, the duo take a bit of a sidestep ...
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Tanukichan's 2018 debut Sundays was a low-key, brilliant late-period shoegaze album that took the sound's template and stripped it down to basics, enveloping the listener in a warm bath of sound without overwhelming them with effects and tricks. The focus was purely on Hannah van Loon's breezy, inward-looking vocals, the pristine melodies, warped guitars that swam through the mix dub-style, and Chaz Bear's subtle production. It was the kind of record that's hard to top, and with Gizmo, the duo take a bit of a sidestep instead. With a more outward-looking approach and an influx of '90s metal and pop influences, the record doesn't have the same lost-in-a-dream feeling. Instead, on songs like "Escape" and "Don't Give Up," the one-two punch that leads off the record, the duo are more interested in shaking loose the cobwebs and inspiring listeners to get out, get up, and do something, calmly. Van Loon's vocals are a touch more forceful, though still buried in the mix, and the guitars fill more of the sonic landscape; some of them are even harsh and serrated. It's a jolt to anyone expecting to fall under the same kind of spell the previous album cast, but it's not an unpleasant change. Unlike many artists who have tried to shoehorn metallic or synthetic sounds into their dream pop, the pair definitely make it seem much more organic. It's also not the only thing they do. Some songs dip into the same kind of quiet melancholy ("A Bad Dream") and subdued-gaze ("Nothing to Lose") they nailed on Sundays with similar results. Others branch out into jangling dream pop ("Make Believe") that would sound lovely next to Winter on a playlist or Cocteau Twins-y ballads fed through all the wrong effects pedals ("Been Here Before") but still sounding otherworldly. The duo take a brave step into higher production values on the stadium-gaze album ender "Mr. Rain," which adds strings and thunderous drums to Tanukichan's toolbox. It's to Van Loon's credit that no matter the setting, her melodies and vocals are enchanting, especially on the hookiest song here, the midtempo grunge-gaze track "Thin Air." Gizmo is definitely a different kind of album than Sundays, less of a comforting dream and more of a soft grapple with reality. That being said, there are more than enough transcendent moments here where noise, melody, and mood all collide in a shower of flickering sparks to make Gizmo exactly what shoegaze should sound like in 2023 if it aims to be more than just a pale rehash of past glories. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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Add this copy of Gizmo to cart. $19.70, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Company Records.
Add this copy of Gizmo to cart. $22.14, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Company Records.
