Whirr - Sway
Review by Bill Olson
Whirr's album Sway is a dreamy and atmospheric collection of shoegaze tracks that will transport listeners to another world. The San Francisco-based band has crafted a sound that is both ethereal and heavy, with layers of distorted guitars and hazy vocals that create a sense of otherworldly beauty. From the opening track "Press" to the closing notes of "Clear," Sway is a journey through the sonic landscape of Whirr's imagination. The album's standout tracks include "Mumble," with its driving rhythm and soaring chorus, and "Dry," which showcases the band's ability to craft a slow-burning, emotional ballad. Sway is a must-listen for fans of shoegaze and anyone looking for an escape from reality.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: whirr-sway.zip- MP3 size: 45.6 mb
- FLAC size: 413.6 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 5:1 | |
| Lines | 4:24 | |
| Heavy | 4:14 | |
| Mumble | 2:34 | |
| Feel | 3:24 | |
| Sway | 6:38 | |
| Clear | 6:10 | |
| Press | 3:31 |
Images
Catalog Numbers
- GRAVE118
- MB02
- 118
Labels
- Graveface Records
- Monumento Cassettes
Listen online
- online anhören
- ascolta in linea
- online luisteren
- kuunnella verkossa
- écouter en ligne
- lytte på nettet
- ouvir online
- lyssna på nätet
- escuchar en línea
Formats
- Vinyl
- LP
- Album
- Limited Edition
- Brown/Bone/Yellowish
- Teal
- Pink
- Club Edition
- Numbered
- Hand-Poured
- Cassette
- Unofficial Release
- Record Release Cover
- Purple
- Blueish
- Grayish
- CD
- Repress
- 180 gram
- 8 × File
- FLAC
- Greenish
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Recorded At | The Atomic Garden Recording Studio |
| Mixed At | Studio 4 Recording |
| Mastered At | The Boiler Room |
| Pressed By | New Fumes |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Design | Nickolas Schüller, Ryan McCardle |
| Layout | Nickolas Schüller, Ryan McCardle |
| Mastered By | Collin Jordan |
| Mixed By | Will Yip |
| Performer | Devin Nunes, Eddie Salgado, Joey Bautista, Loren Rivera, Nick Bassett |
| Producer | Jack Shirley, Whirr |
| Recorded By | Jack Shirley |
Notes
- First retail/mail-order pressing of 2,700 on brown bone yellowish vinyl. Comes in a matte gatefold jacket with a printed inner sleeve. All customers receive an 11x17 promo poster. Will arrive before the Sept 23rd release date.
- The vinyl manufacturer ended up making a bunch of colors for Sway.
- Here are the pressing numbers for Sway so far:
- 300 hand-poured for Record Club
- 2100 bone/peach/tan (This)
- 150 purplish
- 120 blueish
- 120 teal
- 40 pink
- 20 greenish
- 150 grayish
- Comes in a matte gatefold jacket with a printed inner sleeve. All customers receive an 11x17 promo poster. Will arrive before the Sept 23rd release date.
- 2100 bone/peach/tan
- 120 teal (This)
- 40 pink (this)
- Limited to 300 hand-poured vinyl by Daniel Huffman. All RC copies hand-numbered. Comes in a matte gatefold jacket with a printed inner sleeve. All customers receive an 11x17 promo poster.
- Recorded February 18-27th at the Atomic Gardens.
- Mastered at Boiler Room.
- Packaged in a gatefold sleeve. Includes a download code.
- 300 hand-poured for Record Club (This)
- Record release cover limited to 25 hand numbered copies.
- Limited to 1,000 copies.
- Off-white to lightish grey cassette shell.
- Comes in a matte gatefold jacket with a printed inner sleeve. All customers receive an 11x17 promo poster.
- 150 purplish (this)
- 120 blueish (This)
- First retail/mail-order pressing of 2,700 on Fleshtone/Brown/Grey. Comes in a matte gatefold jacket with a printed inner sleeve. All customers receive an 11x17 promo poster. Will arrive before the Sept 23rd release date.
- Packaged in a 4-panel cardboard wallet.
- 2015 repress on 180 gram black with tip on gatefold jacket
- Record houses in inner poly lined sleeves. Cut from new lacquers/stampers. "audiophile" pressing
- 20 greenish (This)
Barcodes
- Barcode: 6 43157 43138 7
- Matrix / Runout: GRAVE-118 1406X19-A A+R Dallas SPGII
- Matrix / Runout: 1406X19-B
- Barcode (Text): 6 43157 43137 4
- Barcode:
- Barcode: 6 43157 43136 7
- Matrix / Runout: 383404 19744-2W6Y *42900*
- Mastering SID Code: IFPI LZ43
- Mould SID Code: IFPI JB11
- Matrix / Runout (A): FREE WHIRR - SIDE A - GRAVE118 A S-94709
- Matrix / Runout (B): FREE WHIRR - SIDE B - GRAVE118 B S-94710
About Whirr
Whirr is an American shoegaze band from the San Francisco Bay Area. The group formed in 2010, originally as Whirl, but had to legally change its name after a woman performing acoustic covers of Black Sabbath songs trademarked the name and threatened a lawsuit. Whirr's shoegaze sound is often compared to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.
Aliases
- Whirl
Members
- Loren Rivera
- Byanca Munoz
- Alexandra Morte
- Sergio Miranda
- Joseph Bautista
- Nick Bassett
- Eddie Salgado
- Kristina Esfandiari
- Trevor DeSchryver
- Devin Nunes
Comments
2023-04-13
"Sway" is a somewhat revolutionary step forward in the now reformulated Shoegaze genre. While the dreamy and spacey expectations of a Shoegaze album are readily apparent, this album goes much deeper than simple washed out guitars and ethereal noises.For fans of heavier music, this album does rock. Hard pumping bass lines, distorted and fuzzed out guitars, and a drummer who beats the living s*** out of his drums give a hard charging vibe at times. However, it often flows right back into reverb laden, floating guitar riffs and dream like qualities. This creates a very modern and urban feel. Even though the wall of sound quality occurs regularly, the lead guitar climbs to the front of the mix and steers the ship right through the haze, and you'll feel very comfortable with where it's taking you.These songs have strong musical structures, with well written and distinct intros, verses and choruses. The band now uses only male vocals and this approach is a huge improvement, as they are better suited for the band's heavier sound. Vocals are delivered at whisper levels, using strong, creative melodies. They're smooth and stylish, mesh with the music, and have just enough presence. The entire album flows seamlessly, and while each song has a similar vibe, they all have their own unique qualities. This is an album that can easily be played from start to finish.My only complaint, (and it's a very mild one) is that the lyrics are rather juvenile. Each song is about "feelings" that are in response to experience with a love interest. Obviously this motivates people who write music, but each song's message is pretty generic and never explorers anything unique or that interesting. Of course, this is Shoegaze so who really cares anyway.I have listened to this album a lot over the past year or so, which is pretty amazing for me. I go through A LOT of music, yet this album sticks around. So all I can say is that it's a fantastic album and I really hope Whirr decides to make another one. "Sway" is leaps and bounds better than anything the band has previously done, and the majority of what people consider "Shoegaze".
