“It didn’t always have to be like this.”
Doomgaze is a niche within a niche, and one that we repeatedly find our most cherished releases in. Impressive albums by Blackwater Holylight, Holy Fawn, ameokama and even aspects of Ethel Cain’s latest work have recently left a mark on us. But it’s not just the established players who have been lodged in our minds:over four years, Fainting Dreams have quietly been building a discography that goes toe to toe with the best. Those Left Untouched By The Light was our first foray into their ice-cold world, as noted in our Releases You May Have Missed column in January 2024 (an absolutely stacked month), forming a touchstone for all of that year’s seasons. The album collected some of their earliest tracks and some new ones into a morbid and heartbreaking package.
A second LP, You Can Be Anything, was a surprise not just in how quickly it followed up the first, but also in its format. It dispensed with the three-piece band and focused entirely on organ atmospheres and ghostly vocals, bringing deeply confessional lyrics on surviving a trans youth in modern America. The features were no slouch, with stunning contributions from Midwife and Allison Lorenzen. Offering a more niche sound, it could be considered a side-album with Those Left Untouched By The Light being the project’s most likely live format. Now in early 2026 they return to their classic format, bringing what they learned from You Can Be Anything along the way.
Their new EP The Silence of Birds That Rarely Sing is composed of three numbered tracks forming one single sixteen and a half minute suite. With these proportions it’s no surprise that they channel their progressive and post influences here. “I” is the perfect introduction to Fainting Dreams for the uninitiated, containing the band’s full, uncompromising range. It moves from pure tranquillity, with a focused minute of drones at its beginning, into spirited screamo hell after a protracted build up.
Once more Elle Reynolds floors us with her vocals, not just through layered chorals that were perfected on You Can Be Anything, but also in the violent moments too. Her harsh voice is enthralling and spits with the rest of the scene’s best – valid references include the shrill techniques of Frail Body, Infant Island, or Glassing. Daresay, those bands wish they could reproduce the full range that Reynolds brings to the table.
During “II” Reynolds invokes a haunting presence whilst rich drones swell beneath her, pedalling around a distinctly unwell tone. In terms of intensity, it’s the record’s middle interlude, a beauty in its own right and the key that unlocks “III”. Opening on a scream, the band locks into that stomach churning sensation with their instrumentals, intensely at first, then falling into a holding pattern with tense cello (contributed by bassist Francys Andros). Where one would expect a return to beatdown comes yet another slow build, as Fainting Dreams hold out till the epic’s very end to return to the screams. As with every Fainting Dreams release to date, the conclusion sharply declines to offer a heartfelt resolution, finding more honesty in a discordant ending.
The Silence of Birds That Rarely Sing is a gentle step upwards for the band’s production, undertaken at Swadley Studios, Colorado. The drums are especially nicely captured relative to the debut LP, and of course the aforementioned vocals are treated in a way that keeps them grounded yet intangible. The guitar techniques are highly varied – when going heavy, they are a step back from the most distorted moments of their first LP, providing tasteful levels of carnage. In the calm moments they invoke the tranquillity of Stars of the Lid with drones driven by e-bows and feedback. The total sound palette is one of those DIY production styles that you wouldn’t trade for any ultra-glossy studio, allowing Fainting Dreams to fully realise their vision.
Here at Boolin Tunes we have been proudly searching along the bleeding edge of underground music for many years. It brings great satisfaction to find our very favourite releases during these forays, especially when the bands keep busy. With this release, Fainting Dreams have proved they are a band that were essential to find and follow. They are uncommonly good in all the lanes they work, be that shoegaze, post rock, screamo, or even their more experimental moments; they excel at everything they try. The Silence of Birds That Rarely Sing is just the latest demonstration of that, a one-stop landing zone for new listeners that should compel them to search even more deeply.
9/10
The Silence of Birds That Rarely Sing releases through Softseed Music on the 6th April and can be pre-ordered here.