Dune Altar (DA-057)

The sound of Los Angeles shoegaze band OSNOVA could still be likened to walking alone on a dark night – it strides with confidence, masking an unstable and anxious edge – the sound of forward movement that is all at once evocative, determined and enveloping.
 
OSNOVA began in 2018 with some instrumental ideas by guitarist Jean-Claude Vorgeack. JC (for fans of brevity) remains a lifelong student of “alternative” music, his influences evident from his days as a music journalist and DJ at KXLU FM in Los Angeles. Since his days as a lad, poring over album cover art and lyrics, to years spent in countless underground bands, OSNOVA is the culmination of a life of music consumption from a musician who has finally absorbed a thing or two in his studies.
 
When JC went looking for a drummer, Sam Ribeyro answered the call. A Russian émigré and man of few words, Sam brought tasteful phrasing and vital life to JC’s home-recorded demos. Sam and JC continued to work on music throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but their search for additional collaborators wouldn't come to fruition until July of 2022. After more auditions than the two would care to recall, the band found vocalist Caroline McLaughlin. A Minnesota transplant with formal training in voice and theatre, Caroline’s vocals balance strength and vulnerability, and she immediately understood the band’s cinematic sound. Reminiscent at times of Katie Ball (Just Mustard) in her stronger moments and Toni Halliday (Curve) in her more fragile ones, Caroline’s vocals command attention in a way not often heard in this genre of music. Osnova released its self-titled debut EP in fall of 2022, followed by the single “Octavian” B-side “For Selene” in 2023.

BUY IT!

Osnova - Climbing Dues

Dune Altar (DA-042)

The sonic equivalent of standing on a beach as a tidal wave approaches, listening to IRESS is to be aware of certain devastation, yet grateful to witness something so terrifyingly beautiful, and transfixed in anticipation for whatever happens next.

Formed in Los Angeles in 2010, IRESS employ dark, commanding elements of shoegaze, slowcore and metal, swelling in moments of cinematic-like crescendo. Dubbed the “Adele of Doom” by her local LA music peers, frontwoman Michelle Malley’s vocals have the power to envelop with smokey warmth, destroy with anguished belting, and arrest with unbelievable restraint. Bassist, Michael Maldonado, provides the much-needed anchor in the bewitching melodies and reverb, while drummer, Glenn Chu, pushes unrelentingly forward. Guitarist, Graham Walker, joined in 2022 instigating a new, more collaborative way of working for the band. This chemistry is undeniable on stage as the intentionality applied to live performances leaves audiences stunned to silence in moments, brought to tears in others when impaled by Malley’s emotional screams, all the while supplying a satisfying amount of crushing distortion to head bang through.

The success of Iress’ newfound anatomy can also be heard in the exceptionally composed, staggering wave of doomgazey sound on the upcoming Solace EP, which tells the story of the brutal reality of change: inevitable, painful and beautiful.

Climbing Dues (Remix)

DUNE ALTAR

Related tracks