I often find myself taking for granted just how much smaller the internet has made the world. There are pockets of communities across the world that I should have no idea existed. For instance, there is a thriving shoegaze scene in Russia, with dozens of bands offering up the freshest takes on the subgenre since the mid 90s.
One of these bands is Life On Venus, a trio from Moscow that offers dark and alluring soundscapes that range from sleepily charming to nightmarishly heavy, but are always dreamlike.
I first came to Life on Venus through the recommended artists on Holy Fawn’s Spotify page, and I was an instant fan. However, I was a little surprised—pleasantly so—that unlike most of the acts around them, Life on Venus didn’t employ nearly as much of the crushing walls of guitar fuzz that’s ubiquitous in the genre. Instead, most of their darkness came from harmonic shifts in their songwriting.
On Homewards though, that’s not the case. They still draw most of their power from interesting harmonic shifts and dark atmospheres, there definitely employ more dirt pedals this time around—and right away too. “You Will Be There” kicks the pillowy ambience of “Foreward” in with a crunching chorus. “Camera Obscura” is heavy even in comparison to the loud opener, squealing leads ringing over deep rumbles of fuzz. “Speak to the Moon” rushes along an urgent drum line that almost approaches punk. “Summer” with its massive, glacial choruses is just as crushing sonically as it is emotionally.
But this isn’t just all fuzz all the time. The romantic Twin Peaks-esque sheen that filled so much of Odes to the Void is still very much present—even in the heaviest moments. The dreamiest moment on the whole disc though is the mournful last song, “Домой,” or “Home,” which is the only song in Russian on the album—and maybe in their catalog. It’s a significant moment, and like the added sonic aggression, it’s impossible to feel like it isn’t inspired by the angst of current events in their native Russia, which Life on Venus has decried on social media. I can’t begin to imagine how it would feel living under a regime led by a despotic megalomaniac making war on a neighboring nation for his own vanity and arresting critics, all while you’re simply trying to live a good life in your community. But the sense of longing, despair, and hope that Life on Venus put into this record help to convey that.
Homewards is out now through Bandcamp.
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