Ether Aura- Crash

Partially made up of ex-members of 90s goth band Caelum Bliss, Ether Aura will likely please shoegazers, goths, and alt rockers alike with their debut, Crash. A heaping portion of Curve with smaller parts Lush, Garbage, and Cocteau Twins, Crash is a rhythmic, atmospheric slice of female-fronted, shoegaze-infused alt rock permeated by effects-laden guitar work and shaped into an almost undeniably impressive, if slightly derivative, debut. Immaculately produced with apparent attention to sonic layering and detail, it's a blend of more straightforward, bass-driven alt rock skeletal structures and swirling atmospheric guitar.

Standouts here include the opening vocal-hook-laden, atmospheric rocker "All Doves Grey", the lovely, airy, very Cocteau Twins-esque "Falling", the killer bass groove and lead guitar work of the infectious "Once Shed Skin", and the reverb-drenched moody balladry of "I'm All You Need". The plodding rock of "About You" casts shadows of Lush, while "6 Days Yesterday" and "Why" are the disc's most upbeat, both poppy alt rock numbers that also recall Lush with Mazzy Star undertones. The latter, notably, contains a particularly hooky chorus.

"Hardly Know You" returns to hazy Curve-esque rock. The disc's title track, on the other hand, is a plodding ethereal ballad countered by a heavier chorus. The bass-driven "Waiting" comes in with a plethora of swirling melodic guitar, feedback, and string scrapes, coalescing to form a great delay-inflected atmospheric rocker, while the closing "In Oceans" projects an ambience similar to "I'm All You Need" and features some nice slide guitar.

In the end, Ether Aura's Crash is a very solid outing, both energetic and emotive, with a handful of particularly exceptional tracks that warrant plenty of repeat play. Curve fans will either love them or, given the reaction of many Curve fans to Garbage, point out their similarities to Curve every chance they get. However, that said, Crash is a spectacular and dynamic alternative rock outing with heavy shoegazer and goth leanings that's certainly worth a listen.