Brass Box is currently in the midst of pioneering a new sound in the world of shoegaze. Consisting of Ammo Bankoff (vocals, bass), Neil Popkin (guitar), Matt Bennett (guitar), and Pablo Amador (drums), the band got its start in Los Angeles, California and formed within the last few years. Brass Box spent their first few years together perfecting their sound. With that being said, their latest release, The Cathedral, was put together very methodically, which shows in all ten of the album’s velvety tracks.
Over the last three years, Brass Box has released several singles, including “Moonlight Desires,” “Tragedy,” and “Rivers.” Each of them acted as a sort of precursor to The Cathedral, given their wavy darkness. Given their multifaceted dreamy goth sound, the band has taken inspiration from myriad other performers, ranging from Joy Division and Depeche Mode to Rowland S. Howard and Dead Can Dance.
The Cathedral offers more depth than any of the band’s singles; it acts as a more extensive portent of despair. They kick this theme off with “Bats,” which very ominously emphasizes “the beginning,” while much of the rest of the album alludes to an end of sorts. Specifically seen in “DDM,” which speaks of graveyards and death, but Bankoff manages to do so ever so smoothly. “Latency” is no exception to darkness; however, it is masked by enchanting vocals. As a whole, Brass Box’s The Cathedral was well worth the wait – this album failed to disappoint – and the band is successfully altering the world of post-punk as we know it.
Recommended If You Like: Fawns of Love, The Morelings, Chasms
Recommended Tracks: 1 (“Bats”), 3 (“DDM”), 5 (“Latency”)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Amy Shea on 04/25/2019