Great Dismal

by Nothing

Overview

Nothing burst onto the shoegaze and metal scene with the brilliant Guilty of Everything, an album that perfectly juxtaposed the swooning nowhereness of the former with the pounding immediacy of the latter. It was such a perfect debut that the band struggled a bit to figure out exactly where to go from there. After a record that was too slick and melodic (Tired of Tomorrow) and one that set them back on the right track but neglected the metal side of the equation (Dance on the Blacktop), on 2020's The Great Dismal, they finally get the balance just right. The mix of melodic songs that show off Domenic Palermo's way with a vocal harmony, thudding tracks that threaten to bore a giant hole into the speaker, and swelling dream pop that feels like the soundtrack to a queasy nightmare is perfect. For every song like "A Fabricated Life" that quietly strums and whispers like Slowdive on downers, another like the almost peppy "Bernie Sanders" impresses with a strutting power and melodic fury. On some tracks, the guitars whip up a proper storm that caresses the melody, while others have ripping sonic waves nearly capsizing them completely. The powerfully metallic "Famine Asylum" is a prime example, as is "Say Less," a slinky, overdriven song that sounds a lot like a lost Curve classic. It says a lot about the album that one is never quite sure what the next song will bring. It could be classic, mind-bending shoegaze that envelops the listener in a hazy cloud ("Blue Mecca") or it could be dark-as-night metalgaze ("Ask the Rust"). It could even be sunny(ish) guitar pop like "Catch a Fade." That song is almost breezy, but not in the same kind of bland way the songs on Tired for Tomorrow were. This time Nothing are in full command of their sound and technique. By adding back the metal and amping up the melodies, the result is an assured and powerful album that delivers on the promise of the group's debut without copying it. Their growth as a band has been faltering at times, but now that they've arrived, it's good to see and wonderful to hear. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2022
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0781676479313
Rank:	143352

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nothing   Primary Artist
Shelley Weiss   Viola,Violin,Cello
Will Yip   Percussion
Mary Lattimore   Harp

Technical Credits

Walter Pearce   Art Direction
Will Yip   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mastering
Doyle Martin   Instrumentation
Jordan Hemingway   Direction,Photography
Nick Bassett   Composer
Domenic Palermo   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Kyle Kimball   Composer,Instrumentation
Aaron Heard   Instrumentation
Hank Byerly   Assistant Engineer
Jackson D. Green   Design