On The Wane: "Schism" 20 November 2017 – Dream Shoegaze from Ukraine

Oscillating between dream gaze and power gaze fusion, Ukraine’s On The Wane brings us their new full album ‘Schism’, slated for release on November 20, preceded by the first single ‘Human Race’.

On the Wane is Daria Maksimova (bass, vocals), Anna Lyashok (drums, vocals), Eugene Voitov (guitar, synth), and Eli Demyanenko (guitar). Together, the four-piece have become a smooth cohesive force in the shoegaze, neo-gothic and noise rock realm.

“Mankind as a race is quite an absurd thing. We strive to survive but we are killing ourselves. We’re beautiful and ugly,  lovely and cruel but, anyway, we are not infinite,” says Daria Maksimova on this lead track.

In early 2017, the band recorded the 10 tracks that would become the full-length album‘Schism’ at the studio of the Kyiv-based band Sinoptik (winners of the worldwide music competition Global Battle of the Bands 2016) and under the direction of sound engineer Dima Afanasyev-Gladkykh (a.k.a. Sinoptik).

“For me this album is a transitional state, the first step on the way to something higher. We put a lot of deep thoughts and feelings into this release. A lot of work has been done. This is definitely the best we ever did, and I can only hope that the next release will be even cooler,” says Anna Lyashok.

The band formed in early 2014, influenced by 1980s alternative rock icons such as Sonic Youth, The Cure, Joy Division, The Pixies and Bauhaus, as well as shoegaze giants My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, and Ringo Deathstarr. They rented a garage, went into debt by buying guitar amplifiers, drums and a line, and settled comfortably in the garage until autumn.

In October of that year, they had enough material for their first album ‘DRY’, which was naive, honest and raw. Recorded during a continuous 27-hour session by well-known Kiev drummer Artur Mikhailenko in his garage studio, it was then mixed and mastered by Sevastopol-based producer Alexander Chabanenko.

Released in December 2014, that album was immediately well received by Ukrainian media with moderate attention abroad in Britain, Ireland, Canada, South America, and the USAThis led to Brazil’s The Blog That Celebrates Itself Records featuring the band in an interview and releasing thier track ‘Sweet Girl’ on the ‘Autumn Noises’ compilation.

Following a series of shows in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, they recorded their second release, now with hard-core vibes inspired by Mudhoney, Fugazi and similar bands. They unleashed their anxious 6-track ‘Sick’ EP on the world, delivering an angst-filled unbalanced sound that led Britain’s The Sound of Confusion to claim that “this band blows any out of the water for 2015 releases in terms of mixing power-driven genres like grunge, shoegaze and alternative rock”, citing Sonic Youth-esque vocals and the energetic ferver of Gang of Four and The Damned.

After Eli Demianenko joined the band, they added synthesizers, a drum machine and drum pad and toured more, allowing them to hone their current sound. With a partially electronic and cold sound, the atmosphere became darker, their trademark wall of guitar sound became more meaningful, and distinct vocals became more self-confident.

“We are constantly in transition, indirectly undergoing a metamorphosis. When we play live, we see that people are really interested in this music,” says Eli Demyanenko.

“We suspect that we may end up categorically changing our sound yet again, so we wanted to record the music we are working with now and this moment in time to sonic memory, so to speak,” explains Daria Maksimova.

On The Wane ‘Schism’ will be released digitally on November 20 and will also be made available on CD.

TRACKLIST

1  Truth Isn’t Bright

2  Fear

3  Human Race

4  Sultry Song

5  Revenge (Deeper Than You Can Imagine)

6  Alcohol

7  Drop Bombs

8  The Real Coward

9  Home

10 Bad News

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