Tearwave
Different Shade of Beauty

THE REVIEW

Second work for the four New York shoegazers, young rising stars of Projekt. This "Different Shade of Beauty" splits musical critics into two factions: those who acclaim it as a "monument of Dream Pop" (quote from Ondarock) and others who, like me, consider it just a good album or slightly more. To be honest, these Tearwave, in my opinion, can't shake off the label of "emulators": their offering, something seen and already seen, blatantly draws from the shoegaze of Lush and Slowdive and the dream pop melodies of Cocteau Twins, all bands cited by the four as their main inspirations, all mixed with those darkwave atmospheres à la Black Tape for a Blue Girl.

The guitarist/keyboardist Doug White is the real protagonist of this full-length. His sound solutions are multiple and conform to each song: sonic layering that never exceeds into saturation, walls of distortion that give the songs that impalpable patina typical of the genre and even acoustic interludes and oriental scales. This dense and full-bodied musical background blends perfectly with Jennifer Manganiello's angelic singing, which gives the compositions that gothic aftertaste à la Cure (another big influence for the four): it's this pairing that makes some of the tracks on the album true gems of ethereality and abstraction like "Holding On," "Shattered Fairytale," "Question," "72 BPM," and "Nothing's Wrong." What betrays these Tearwave, on the other hand, is the desire to overdo it. This "Different Shade of Beauty" flows, with its seventeen songs, for an abundant hour without a single difference to be noted! Manganiello's mono-expressive and tragedy-tinged singing, in particular, risks becoming terribly tiresome due to the excessive length of the work, while some excellent songs are not enough to prevent a few yawns from the listener.

In summary: excellent premises somewhat trampled by exaggerated and overflowing songwriting. Highly recommended to fans of the genre, a bit less lasting for everyone else.