Airiel – “Cloudburst”

Shoegaze is BACK! The 90s-era style, exemplified by effects-processed guitars and dreamy melodies, has been brought back in fashion by a raft of new bands, from DIIV to School of Seven Bells, as well reunions from some of the original purveyors of the sound, such as Ride and Lush. Midwestern quartet Airiel follow in the footsteps of many of these shoegazy pioneers AND with the release of their new single, “Cloudburst,” this week (which we are excited to be premiering here), it is a bit of a return for the band as well. Excepting the Kid Games EP in 2012, it has been nearly ten years since we’ve had a new full-length from Airiel to look forward to (a period during which they have relocated to the Chicago area), and “Cloudburst” is a taste of their forthcoming album, to be called Molten Young Lovers.

For this release on Shelflife Records (a label long supportive of progressive indie pop), Airiel’s original version is augmented by a remix by longtime collaborator Navigateur, giving the shimmer of the single version an extra jolt of 21st Century percussive snappiness. But either track offers the kinds of ethereal yet hook-filled pleasures that longtime fans of the shoegaze sound and newcomers to the genre alike can bliss out to.