Courage Reels, the long-awaited debut album by Wozniak is released on 21 April on Morningside Young Team Records, and the pre-sale started on 7 April. Wozniak have drawn comparisons with the likes of Mogwai, Slowdive and No Joy.  The band shared ‘Perihelion’ from the album in February, and that first taster has built anticipation for their first full-length release. Following the success of their earlier EPs (Pikes Peak, 2014 + Auster, 2015) the four-piece decided to forego gigs in 2016 so that they could concentrate on making their debut album. The result is their most complex and creative collection of songs to date.

Over the nine tracks, the band fully explore their wide-ranging sonic aesthetic, taking inspiration from a diverse range of sources, including the woozy wall of sound of the original shoegaze scene, the relentless drive of krautrock, the pure power of Black Sabbath and the expansive majesty of post-rock. These elements come together to form a sound that is uniquely Wozniak - dense, sweeping soundscapes, with driving drums, fuzzed out bass and a symphony of guitars. Largely instrumental, where Wozniak do include vocals they float over the wall of noise, a gossamer sheen hinting at the turmoil that lies beneath.

Recorded with Craig Ross at the Depot Studios in Edinburgh throughout 2016, the tumultuous events across the world that year crept into the recordings. At times the album howls with rage, at other times it is a sorrowful lament. Themes of loss, shadows and foreboding are woven throughout, yet the album demonstrates Wozniak’s ability to apply light and shade to create a compelling and rewarding experience.

Listen for yourself here

Gigs:

21 April –Nice n Sleazy’s, Glasgow –with Spectres

28 April –Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh –with We Came From the North

The full track listing is:

1.Shader

2.Ghosting

3.Super Panther

4.Perihelion

5.Scottish Dancer

6.Natsuko

7.Erebus

8.Crush

9.Death Suit

Auster is the second EP from Edinburgh shoegazers, Wozniak. Formed in 2012 with a mission to cause “terminal tinnitus”, this was made to be played loud. Live, their predominantly instrumental tunes have the ferocity of an industrial metal band. The rhythm section dominates and lends weight to the sound which the guitars swirl around.

It’s a different story in the studio, where the balance is shifted and the results are more Explosions In The Sky or Mogwai than Killing Joke, and more like their stated influences; Chapterhouse, Ride, The Cure, and Slowdive.

Named after the co-founder of Apple Computers, Wozniak have had a busy start to 2015. Their last EP, Pikes Peak, was released last year after a Kickstarter campaign. It has garnered them international attention from shoegazers in the US and Japan, as well as shows in London and Dublin.

Auster sounds like a continuation of Pikes Peak. The two releases could be siblings; the bastard sons of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. Both EPs were recorded in the same studio with Craig Ross of Broken Records, and it’s evident that Wozniak have found their voice.

The bass anchors each number while wave after wave of electric guitar rises to the fore. Competing hooks and melodies bubble to the surface before the riptide once again pulls them under. ‘Gospel of Infinity’ threatens to burst into pure guitar pop but can’t break through the torrent of reverb. Opening track ‘Snow Effect’ features a vocal track, from Sarah Cuthbert- Kerr, submerged within the oppressive vortex of fuzzed-out guitar.

There are elements of post-rock, math-rock and other indie instrumental sub-genres throughout. Cuthbert-Kerr saysL “When we first got together we were planning on more of a straightforward post-rock sound… walls of sound, lots of reverb, prominent bass lines and submerged vocals... It’s definitely about the wall of sound. It’s got to be layered, fuzzy and gorgeous, and above all, loud.” Auster ticks all those boxes.

Auster EP is available from Amazon and iTunes.