KVLR

KVLR's third album is informed and inspired by the heavy-duty guitar sounds of Chavez, Swervedriver, Sonic Youth, Jawbox, Fugazi, Fireside, and a touch of '90s alt rock. KVLR, a four-piece from Umeå in Northern Sweden, rise above their influences by using the sounds and styles these bands pioneered in striking new ways. Magnificently noisy, aggressive and angular, this is KVLR's masterpiece; their punk roots are shaded with expansive arrangements and experimental flourish, a bombastic blend of classic DC post/punk, Midwestern noiserock, British shoegaze, and European hardcore. Produced by Komeda's Lena Karlsson and Marcus Holmberg, Lena also contributes vocals to two songs, including the CD’s centerpiece, the sonic supernova that is "Slow Clapping." Filter Magazine: “The drums on the single ('Slow Clapping') pound like a factory line, and the chorus is a maelstrom of pop purity as backing vocals bend and shift into a My Bloody Valentine-like state of reverie… By recording most of their material live, KVLR allow the spatial arrangements of post-rock to infiltrate the energy of post-punk and the textural beauty of shoegazing. The end result is a strong amalgam of some of the best music that can be made with guitars.”