The Howling Fog’s new EP ‘Drifting’ is an enchanting dark-psych journey
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11.12.2019

The Howling Fog’s new EP ‘Drifting’ is an enchanting dark-psych journey

The Howling Fog
Words by Tom Parker

It’s like a reverb-charged avalanche.

Dark-psych wizards The Howling Fog have emerged with their second EP, Drifting. The band’s previous alignment with the shoegaze genre is still evident, but Drifting wanders in a gloomier direction.

The EP crunches from one song to the next. To an extent it resembles a darker Horrors, with reverb-drenched guitar lines and Peter Blunden’s Faris Badwan-like vocals. There’s not much brightness here, however, and the band seem intent on shrouding listeners with as much auditory stimulus as is possible.

This strategy with instrumentation and recording at times gestures to the experimentation of Sonic Youth, but before we start making too many comparisons, it’s important to admire the originality of The Howling Fog’s sound.

A sound with such density can be difficult to diversify, yet approaching Michael Badger (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, You Am I), who’s known for working with delay and reverb, to master Drifting was the best decision the band could’ve made.

What eventuates is a psychedelic journey into the abyss that will twist your mind. It’s a gritty and intense record that takes time and digestion. Having already deviated from shoegaze, it’ll be interesting to see where The Howling Fog go next.