Blackwater Holylight : Not Here Not Gone
If you caught wind of Blackwater Holylight around the release of their 2018 debut, then you are one of the lucky ones who has heard their transition from a bong-worshipping desert sludge into more jammy strains of shoegaze, into the perfect balance of their past and present realized on Not Here Not Gone. Make no mistake, the Portland group are still able to summon a metallic heft with the fuzzy overdrive and weighty bass lines driving the songs, but they’re given a more dynamic element with the languid croon of Sunny Faris. Her vocal melodies are at their most memorable on this album, which is driven by more focused songwriting that doesn’t sacrifice the jammy flow of their previous work.
Not Here Not Gone is a really well mixed album, and while there are many layers of sounds swirling around the songs, they coexist with room to breathe, never distracting you from the song’s intentions. Sometimes Faris’ voice sits further in the layers of guitar than what you might expect from your average radio rock band, but here it makes perfect sense. “Bodies” carries a heavier groove, and “Heavy, Why” is weighty as the name suggests but from a slightly different angle, as the vocal melody casts a dreamy shade onto the song’s canvas.
The interlude “Giraffe” has a trip-hop feel, demonstrating the group’s ability to create a tapestry of contrasts when they lurch into the crunch of “Spades,” which is the most metal song on the album. “Void to Be” is a darker shade of indie rock with moody, haunted guitar parts, while there’s a sluggish drawl to “Mourning After,” drifting into an atmospheric drone that swells into the sunset. This is where the albums ends, with a folk-touched flavor of post-rock that is not unlike Emma Ruth Rundle in her more grunge-tinged moments.
These final few songs take a few listens to settle in, as they’re more atmospheric and provide a contrast to the hard-driving groove of the album as a whole, but they ultimately offer more balance to this album as a whole. Blackwater Holylight curate some spectacular songs that require repeat listens to discover new nuances. Not only is Not Here Not Gone their most fully realized work, but it’s one of the year’s best albums overall, raising the bar for anyone approaching similar sonic zip codes.
Label: Suicide Squeeze
Year: 2026
Similar Albums:
Blackwater Holylight : Not Here Not Gone
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
