Olympia, capital city of Washington state, boasts a storied musical history spanning grunge (Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain called Olympia home), riot grrrl (Bikini Kill were at the vanguard of the influential feminist punk movement), and record labels K Records and Kill Rock Stars (home variously to Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith).
Reaching for Olympian heights
Aiming to reach these Olympian heights, city residents Waves Crashing (Bryce Albright, drums; Josh Calisti, guitar/cello/vocals; and Zach Olson, bass, vocals) release their sophomore album In The Blur.
“This album dove deeper in some alternative guitar tunings that inspired the first four tracks of the album. My favorite tracks are ‘Feel The Glow’ (which is the perfect opener), which is about facing your fears and ‘Marine Garden’ which is very personal to me about just enjoying the moment and being present with the ones you love. We also love the melodies and the outro on Next To Me. A perfect way to end the album.”
Josh Calisti
Backed by strong support from the influential Seattle-based alternative station KEXP (debut LP Effection placed in their 2025 Top 100), extensive touring, and supporting both 4AD’s Maria Somerville and Austin shoegazers Ringo Deathstarr among others.
Shoegaze and post-punk fusion
Given their city’s grunge heritage and touring with the aforementioned shoegaze-adjacent acts, it’s no wonder that the bombastic LP opener ‘Feel The Glow’ and the decidedly anthemic ‘Divide’ echo with heavy guitars, booming drums, and layered sound.
Lyrically, the standard shoegaze tropes of alienation and introspection are present and correct. On ‘Coming Up For Air’, Calisti is pushing through, ‘out of my nightmare’, which taps into his experiences of emotional abuse. ‘Circles’ is ‘always chasing what can’t be found’. The ‘fractured time’ of ‘Next To Me’ sees ‘flowers fade’.
The dream-like qualities of said genre are prevalent throughout, including the wistful, end-of-summer vibes of ‘Marine Garden’, an atmospheric cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’, and the driving ‘Next To Me’, which brings In The Blur to a suitable climax.
Final thoughts
In The Blur meshes multi-layered sound with melodic moments and is bolstered by a couple of proper anthems, even if there is a nagging sense that there are times when this starts to feel a little generic. However, In The Blur is a good, solid second album.
With a little more adventure, Waves Crashing could really push onto something even better. It will be worth watching to see where they land next.
In The Blur is out on Audiomanic Records.
Waves Crashing tour dates
Waves Crashing reach UK shores with the following tour dates:
4 November: Hot Box Live, Chelmsford – with Healees and Hibiscus Haze. Get your tickets for this show here. Be quick before they sell.
5 November: Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate – with Healees
6 November: Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds – with Cigarettes For Breakfast
7 November: Strongroom Bar, London – Shoegaze & Dreampop Weekender #6
8 November: The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham – with Healees and Falling & Laughing
Even Butterflies Make A Sound is delighted to present the Hot Box triple bill. This comes after hugely successful events, promoted by this blog, featuring Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Vicci & Bavota, Sulk Rooms and James Adrian Brown, and No Joy.
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Waves Crashing + Healees + Hibiscus Haze @ Hot Box
Anthony Gibbons
Anthony is a music fan and former music industry insider. He contributed articles to many a now-defunct music magazine or website. He tried his hand at music PR but wasn’t particularly good at it (editor’s note: Mr Gibbons’s words not mine!) Away from music, Anthony is a freelance advertising and marketing executive. Outside of this, he can be found walking the dog, toiling on the allotment, or fending off old age with running and yoga.
