Album Review: Whirr- Sway

There are two great reasons to like the California-based baned Whirr. The first is, of course, their sound, which is something they continue to develop through each subsequent release—starting with the Distressor EP, their 2012 full length Pipe Dreams, last year’s Around EP, and now with their sophomore LP, Sway. It’s a sound that refuses to be backed into one specific genre, theoretical or otherwise. Drawing heavy influence from the quintessential shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine, on Sway, you can hear traces of the cult-act Hum (of “Stars” fame), early Smashing Pumpkins, and at times the more melodic aspects of the Deftones.

The other reason to like Whirr?

Well if you are a huge hater like me, you’ll love their “we don’t take any shit” attitude on Facebook, and their ability to start internet beef with two of my least favorite music critics—Pitchfork’s known idiot Ian Cohen, and The Needle Drop’s own fuck boy Anthony Fantano, who has probably the music industry’s most punchable face right now.

Serving as a bit of a logical step forward for Whirr, it takes some of the hook-focused songwriting from Pipe Dream, and blends it with the looser, noisier aesthetic from the Around EP. Whirr is also a band that goes through a near constant line up change, and currently they are lacking any female vocalists—something that was very prevalent on their previous efforts. Worth noticing this time around, as pointed out in the press materials from their label, is Sway represents the first time that Whirr has functioned as a democratic unit, with each member of the band contributing in some way to the songwriting process, rather than just all the material coming from de facto frontman Nick Bassett.

Sway is one those mysterious albums that doesn’t play its hand too soon. It’s not an immediate, or urgent listen, but it’s an album that begins to reveal itself slowly over multiple listens. There is a dreaminess to many of the tracks (like the glistening guitar work on album’s title track, and at the beginning of “Clear”), that the band then shifts away from on others, (the heavy hitting opening shot of “Press” and “Mumble”), creating jarring ebb and flow that runs throughout the whole record.

There are, of course, the moments when this all converges in one song. It’s fitting that it is at the album’s halfway point, “Heavy,” when both the slow motion shoegaze beauty, and the sheer brutality of Whirr’s metal influences, collide into a gorgeous, dissonant, weighty free fall.

After numerous line-up change and side projects, Sway, aside from being a captivating and emotional listen, is the sound of a band that is finally growing into itself. Whirr is able now to strike the balance between their influences, and create something all together impressive.

Sway is out on Tuesday, September 23rd, via Graveface.