Review: Blackwater Holylight – Not Here Not Gone
Blackwater Holylight are a band I’m pretty new to. Like, just in the last couple of weeks kind of new. I’m not really sure why listening to them took me so long—so many of my favorite ingredients are present. Doom metal, psych rock, and shoegaze are all among my favorite genres. But what matters is that I’ve heard them now, and did so just in time for the newest release from LA’s low-tuned lasses.
When I dove into the band’s discography, I started at the beginning and worked my way forwards. I enjoyed each release more than the one before. While I’m not terribly keen on their first two LPs, Silence/Motion and the If You Only Knew EP are both really solid releases. And Not Here Not Gone continues that trend.
Let’s start by talking about the production. 2019’s Veils of Winter suffered from some seriously muffled production. 2021’s Silence/Motion was an improvement, but Not Here Not Gone feels like a huge leap forwards (thank you, Sonny Diperri). The fuzzed-out, shoegazey textures feel crisp and clear, and for the most part, everything feels pretty balanced, with the vocals especially feeling like they sit right where they should.
There’s a good variety between the tracks on this release. Opening track “How Will You Feel,” possibly my favorite on the record, has this sort of “My Bloody Valentine meets mid-2010s indie rock” sound that I really dig. “Bodies” hits a little sludgier, while still retaining some shoegazey brightness. “Giraffe” brings us a nice little noisy interlude before dropping the listener right into “Spades,” which might be the sludgiest track on the record. And while I initially wasn’t big on “Poppyfields” as a closer for the album, I’ve really come around to it after a few more listens. Emotionally, as well as sonically, it feels like a great, almost Swans-esque buildup and release that really draws you in. Sure, some of the tracks on the album kind of blend together, but there aren’t really any snoozers (though I do feel like “Mourning After” is missing something).
Compositionally, this album is pretty simple. Most tracks follow your standard “A-B-A-B-C” pattern, which may not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t get old either. Where Not Here Not Gone really shines, though, is in its atmosphere. To pull from the promo material, “Not Here Not Gone explores the duality of light and dark… the listener gets a sense of empowerment at one turn, vulnerability the next. As drummer Eliese Dorsay describes it, ‘some songs we’re the predator, and some songs we’re the prey.’” If that was the band’s goal, I’d say they nailed it. There’s a certain unfamiliar, uncertain atmosphere that pervades the album that I can’t get enough of, one that will certainly keep me coming back for more.
All in all, Not Here Not Gone is a really solid release. While it’s not going to redefine doomgaze as a genre, it’s an excellent entry into it. I’m really excited to see these folks in Charlottesville next month, and 100% plan to pick up an LP when I do.
3.5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Not Here Not Gone released today through Suicide Squeeze Records.
