“Watching you blossom while I can’t even grow.”
Self-described ‘sob rock‘ duo Upsetter emerged on the block at the start of June with dual single “Blossom/Hate Me“. Fuzzy reverbed guitars with reflective lyrics and a brazen journey through the emotions were presented. The pair of Emily Hopley and Jasper Webb are established audio engineers, working with the likes of Stepson and Alpha Wolf on home soil and Kublai Khan and Powertrip further afield. And across the on-the-nose named DOOMGAZE, their experience and expertise comes through.
Outside of the plucked guitar strings that are presented on opener “Doom“, it’s a tumble into the deep of retrospective emotions on DOOMGAZE. “I tried be a man of my word“, laments vocalist Webb. Instrumentally, there is a sheer inescapable force to the reverbed sound, akin to the pained emotions threaded in the narrative. It’s taken down a key on “Martyr”, being more drawn back at moments, allowing from the toe-tapping drum rudiments to shine through.
Thumping “Tell Your Friends You Love Them“, is a highlight of DOOMGAZE. Once the track fully kicks off just over the minute mark, Hopley‘s bass reverberates across the song, with each vocal (including two features from Dylan Davidson and Stepson) having a stirring nature to them. Here it would have been nice to see the track explode into something heavier towards the end, however, this three-minute sprint of a record is something to be more than happy with.
The ferocity of “Tell Your Friends You Love Them” does mske going into “Blossom” somewhat obtuse, the mind and ear still processing and recovering from the previous track. “I want to blossom somewhere I fit” is a line that strikes a particular chord, sinking into the melancholy style that listeners may find in acts like The Casket Lottery, Foxing and Soroity Noise. The little jazz-esque piece with the brass instruments is a pleasant and welcome surprise to close the record out too.
As DOOMGAZE hits track “Hate Me” is where the record does hit a wobble. With the main vocal hook sitting on “I hate myself more than you could ever hate me“, and without wanting to sound too harsh, is a lyric that has been fairly well run by now. Closer of sorts “Emotional Hygiene” has an electric riff carrying the verses and lays out the struggle of the difficulties of self-care in the modern age. Bookend “Gaze” closes out with a confessional voice note, laying out any remaining vulnerability onto the record.
DOOMGAZE is a challenging listening in a good way. Sonically, it doesn’t let up on any front, meaning the weaker moments of the writing still lead to a satisfying end. The strong riffs will sit comfortably in the ear after listening. Lyrically, while there is room for expansion beyond some well-trodden themes, the record still communicates a brutal vulnerability that is relatable as opposed to the more subtle approach other artists may take. DOOMGAZE has the workings of something more interesting to come in the future, and with the evident talent and skill at hand, it could be something grand.
7/10
DOOMGAZE is out August 11th via self-release, and can be pre-saved here.