GHLOW is an exciting post-punk duo based out of Stockholm. Levitate is their sophomore release, following up their acclaimed debut Slash and Burn. The group consists of Emille de Blanche and Nikolay Evdokimov. Levitate was written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered entirely in the duo’s Stockholm studio.
The album starts off with the discordant chaos of ‘Big City’, an infusion of hammering metal and punk interspersed with Emille’s vocals, sounding a bit like Siouxsie in spots. ‘Lost My Mind’ is my pick of the album for best song. It is mesmerizing in its minimalism with ominous bass, super cool crunchy guitar, and a strong melody. ‘Levitate’ once again flirts with the Banshees on the vocal line, with a relentless bass line. Cool beans! ‘Bring It Down’ hits you in the head with its wall of sound, while ‘Dust’ boasts spacey electronica with loads of feedback, a style that suits this band well.
‘Golden’ returns to the noise fest that dominates this record. They are so good at fine tuning their sound to diamond hard sonics, and the sound quality is terrific. ‘Radiate’ is primo post-punk, once again fronting Emille’s powerful alto vocals. ‘Tricky’ has an odd opening, electronics warring with fuzzed out guitar, one that quickly morphs into ear bleeding territory. ‘Slide’ is a slithering gothic cocktail of icy vocals and creepy synths. Love it! The final ‘Sparks’ is a jittery but melodic melange of shoegazey punk, and one that buttons this album up with style. Highly recommended!
