Belong – ‘Realistic IX’ album review: an ode to seminal shoegaze
THE SKINNY: Over the last few years, shoegaze has received a full-blown revival. Budding bands are packing their pedalboards in as tightly as possible and burying any sense of melody deep under layers of feedback and reverb. The scene that celebrated itself has come to be celebrated by the masses and so, too, have the bands who first pioneered it. Nowhere is this more evident than on the latest offering from experimental duo, Belong.
Belong didn’t spawn from the current shoegaze renaissance. Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones have been playing with ambience, experimental electronica, and dense forms of shoegaze for over two decades now. But on Realistic IX, their first full-length album in 13 years, the duo lean more heavily on Loveless than ever before, almost losing themselves in odes to Kevin Shields.
The record is a collection of swirling masses of feedback, pedal-drenched guitars, and ethereal vocalisations that struggle to peek out from underneath. It has everything that a shoegaze record needs, but it becomes all the more interesting when it stops leaning on those requirements and steps outside of itself, pulling in Dietrich and Jones’ more electronic leanings.
The most intriguing moments on Realistic IX come in overwhelmingly windy soundscapes and pulsing beats that should be more suited to a techno track than a shoegaze record. The odes to Loveless are clear and considered, and they would slot right into the album they take influence from, but they don’t necessarily build upon it. Belong show more innovation when they take those Shields-style guitars and pair them with something new.
For fans of: Lying on your bedroom floor and staring at the wall as though your apathy is somehow dramatic.
A concluding comment from Kevin Shields’ psyche: “Maybe people will stop pestering me for a new My Bloody Valentine album if I start sending them this.”
Realistic IX track by track:
Release date: 9th August | Producer: Belong | Label: Kranky
‘Realistic (I’m Still Waiting)’: Belong start as they mean to go on, with an opener that could be slotted straight into the tracklisting for Loveless. Bilinda Butcher-style vocalisations are buried under grimy guitars and feedback in an apparent ode to their shoegazing predecessors. [3.5]
‘Difficult Boy’: Distorted and stagnated, ‘Difficult Boy’ pulls you further into Belong’s droning soundscapes. It’s a song that seems to stumble through its tiny two-and-a-half-minute runtime, revving and repeating itself before an abrupt halt. [3/5]
‘Crucial Years’: Belong put down their feedback-laden guitars for a brief moment on ‘Crucial Years’, which places a heartbeat-esque drum sound beneath an ever-changing ambience. It’s a more stark departure from the shoegazers of the past, pushing the duo’s sound into more experimental electronic territory. [3.5/5]
‘Souvenir’: ‘Souvenir’ was released as the first and only single from Realistix IX, and it’s easy to see why. With pulsing percussion and ethereal melodies that peek out from just beneath, it’s the closest Belong come to a pop tune while still playing into nostalgia for Loveless and modern love for distortion. [3/5]
‘Image of Love’: There’s more stagnation and shimmering guitar feedback on ‘Image of Love’, while the drums hark back to Belong’s more electronic influences. This is perhaps the most forgettable track on the album, droney to a fault. [2.5/5]
‘Bleach’: ‘Bleach’ picks things back up with pulsing percussion and raucous noise. It’s like trying to listen to Sweet Trip while standing on the top of a particularly tall mountain, the wind enveloping the sound almost entirely. By the time the track reaches the end of its six-minute runtime, it leaves your ears ringing. [3.5/5]
‘Jealousy’: More Loveless-style drones. A shoegaze slam-dunk. [3.5/5]
‘AM / PM’: Belong close proceedings with the lengthiest offering on the album, a truly ensnaring seven minutes of windy sounds and electronic pulses. Perhaps the duo are at their best when they’re not imitating My Bloody Valentine but pulling from the shoegaze giants to enhance their take on electronica. [3.5/5]
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