Shy, Low – "Snake Behind The Sun"
"A Crazy Race"
Fans of bands like pg.lost, Thrice, Cult Of Luna and Russian Circles should pay attention to this record review. There is an album coming up on October 8th that you should definitely consider listening to. With their new record, "Snake Behind The Sun", the Pelagic signed band Shy, Low really hits the spot.
Shy, Low show other post-music acts how contrasty music should sound. With the quartet from Richmond, Virginia, everything takes place between hard riffs and filigree melodies. The swelling tension that emerges, again and again, is glorious.
Sophisticated songwriting
The album is solid and brutal – You might say: Its sophisticated songwriting has put it to life. "Snake Behind The Sun" is great music for all those who like multi-layered, complex and groovy sounds without wanting to forego any heaviness.
Guitarist Zak Bryant also attributes the fact that the record turned out so good to the well-considered and extensive pre-production. He told Pelagic:
"We recorded the entire album at home before we went into the studio and reworked some of the songs several times. Only then were they entirely composed for us.
At that moment, producer and sound engineer Mike Watts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Hopesfall, Tides of Man, GlassJaw) came into the picture:
"After listening to the music he produced with bands like O'Brother, Lume, GlassJaw, among others, we were clear that we wanted those drum sounds. And we were also impressed by his keen sense of the overall balance of the mixes and the productions."
Instrumental music at its best
The legendary drum room at Vudu Studios and drummer Dylan Partridge's work (he hadn't even been a permanent band member at the time) then did the rest. Zak continued:
"Sitting in the studio for three weeks and focusing on the album was great. It was also completely new for us to work in this way. It was the first time we had the opportunity to fine-tune our songs with a producer and experiment with different instruments that we didn't have access to before."
For Shy, Low, "Snake Behind The Sun" is a metaphor for the idea that darkness and negativity can remain hidden even beneath seemingly positive forces and a positive being in a person's life. And there was indeed a snake crawling out from behind the sun when the band was in the studio. Bassist Drew Storcks recounted:
"In the third week, the state of New York announced that it would declare a complete lockdown because of the rapid increase in COVID infections. So all of a sudden, we only had one day to finish our recordings. Suddenly a crazy race had begun."
"Snake Behind The Sun is a unique instrumental album. Shy, Low managed to convey the moods that other bands express (or try to express) through lyrics entirely through their instruments – and beyond that. Already on the first listen, the seven songs in 53 minutes are giving me goosebumps more than once. It's nice to know that I can get this feeling back at any time now. And you can also experience it from October 8th. So don't miss out!
Pelagic has already put a few of the songs online. The newest one, "Umbra", is one of them.
Read my interview with Shy, Low now.