Toner with Welcome Strawberry and System Exclusive
Since 2015, Toner has been crafting a shade of shoegaze that could only come out of a hotboxed East Bay garage. Their sound honors the traditions of NorCal DIY (taking some root in skate punk and slacker rock), but what's most commendable is their understanding of what makes a great record in their preeminent genre. No, shoegaze is not about being the loudest or the most distorted, nor is it about conjuring wafts of euphoric haze that sound nice but leave no trace. It's about finding the timbres that scorch the eardrums while injecting the listener with serotonin. It's about keeping the song structures simple, but executing them splendidly. It's about finding a way to produce, mix and master guitar tones so that they're always recognized, never disguised amidst the cacophony of sound.
Toner with Welcome Strawberry and System Exclusive
Since 2015, Toner has been crafting a shade of shoegaze that could only come out of a hotboxed East Bay garage. Their sound honors the traditions of NorCal DIY (taking some root in skate punk and slacker rock), but what's most commendable is their understanding of what makes a great record in their preeminent genre. No, shoegaze is not about being the loudest or the most distorted, nor is it about conjuring wafts of euphoric haze that sound nice but leave no trace. It's about finding the timbres that scorch the eardrums while injecting the listener with serotonin. It's about keeping the song structures simple, but executing them splendidly. It's about finding a way to produce, mix and master guitar tones so that they're always recognized, never disguised amidst the cacophony of sound.
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