Then is a Macedonia duo that’s heavily influenced by shoegaze rock greats, My Bloody Valentine, The Telescopes and The Jesus and the Mary Chain to name a few. The duo has so far, released two short compilations, 2008’s Dreams, Tapes, Hopes & Razorblades and Happy Cloud. Both records are available for free download.
This unique group’s sound focuses on a lot of spacey sounding tracks mixed in with plenty of reverb, feedback as well as quiet, almost whispered, vocals. Happy Cloud contains 5 cuts that range from alternative rock to uptempo, almost dancy pop cuts.
If you adore shoegaze and want to add another band onto your list, then check out Then. Happy Cloud opens with uptempo track, Stranger Than Fiction. It starts with a dialogue sample and careens into bouncy drums with hazy chorus vocals. The unison singing is lovely and adds a nice contrast to the consistent instrument work. Moreover, the clean guitar picking creates a crisp focus of sound contrasting with the altogether blurry track.
Afterglow, meanwhile, exudes a nice, sunshiny feel. For some reason, the tracks makes me feel as if it should have served as a soundtrack to an old 70s commercial featuring a family in a park or beach somewhere, having fun and beaming smiles. The vocals weave together with the sound beautifully and create this wonderful summer cut.
On the other hand, Anorak City, is a more disturbing cut simply because of the screeching feedback that opens it. Otherwise though, it showcases an 80s dance vibe. It’s like listening to the Pet Shop Boys if they veered slightly towards punk or maybe the Sex Pistols if they were super mellow and loved excessive feedback noise and dance.
You can listen and download the tracks by Then from their Last FM page. It’s worth checking out especially for shoegaze fans.
Related Links:
Then on Last FM
Then on Myspace
Then on Twitter