・・・・・・・・・ (Dots) - Shuwa Shuwa EP Review

・・・・・・・・・​ (or Dots from here on out) are a new idol group who fuse soft idol pop with the sweet and soothing sounds of 90s-era shoegaze. Though the group popped up out of nowhere late last year with some performance videos, Shuwa Shuwa is their first actual release. It's comprised of only three songs, so this is gonna be a short one.

Shuwa Shuwa opens with the song Satellite, which could just as easily be a song by 90s UK shoegaze heroes Ride. It's an upbeat take on the genre, with surprisingly clear vocals for a shoegaze song (this is a trend which continues across the EP, one that shoegaze purists will hate but I personally don't see a problem with). Everything here is clean and well-produced, punchy in just the right ways without feeding into any sort of gimmick. The "swirling" guitars are the perfect compliment to the girls' vocals, rather than an overpowering force of nature as with pioneers of the genre like My Bloody Valentine.

The second song, Cider, opens with a synth line before following up with a very similar formula to the previous track. This one reminds me less of Western shoegaze and more of Japanese artists like Kinoko Teikoku. I love the shimmering bell sounds throughout the song, and the mixing here gives the guitars a little more bite while still maintaining the overall harmony between the musical elements at work. There's also a spoken word bridge which wouldn't feel out-of-place in, say, a Zenbu Kimi no Sei da song.

Finally, the EP closes with the MASSIVE Ne~e, which calls back to My Bloody Valentine more than anything else on here. The verses are actually much more stripped-down than the rest of the songs, but the chorus explodes into a beautiful cacophony of guitars and synths. Kevin Shields would be proud.

I love this EP! If this is a sign of things to come from Dots, I for one cannot wait to see what they bring to the table in 2017. You can listen and purchase at OTOTOY, and be sure to check out the group's website and Twitter. We're sure to hear more from them in the coming months.

-Justin

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