Review: Last Tide’s The Broken Pieces EP

Considering the oft-maligned tendency of Washington, D.C., concertgoers to stand still during rock shows, it’s surprising that the shoegaze movement of the late ’80s and early ’90s never quite stuck in the nation’s capital. (When Slumberland Records moved from Silver Spring, Md., to Oakland, Calif., in 1992, did it take the rest of the local scene’s shoegaze population with it?) Perhaps this citywide reputation was an underlying inspiration behind D.C. singer-songwriter Nate Frey’s latest project, Last Tide, an intriguing medley of shoegaze, slowcore, and drawn-back punk. The quartet’s debut EP, The Broken Places—which will be released during tonight’s performance at The Black Cat—channels the sludgy catharsis of Codeine, the raw atmospheric arrangements of Slowdive, and the stripped-down punk sensibilities of early My Bloody Valentine, with Frey’s vocals landing somewhere between a muffled Ian Curtis and a Percocet-pumping Mark Kozelek.

The result is a fresh, eclectic affair—but one that struggles to maintain a cohesive form. In the fast-paced opener, “A Traitor In My Mind,” Frey fawns longingly over an unfaithful lover, but overly distorted guitars and an out-of-place power-punk rhythm drone out his vocals. “Shapeshifter” is the EP’s most radio-ready track, placing lead vocal duties in the capable hands of mezzo-soprano keyboardist Libby Dorot and adopting a straightforward synth-pop aesthetic. The next two tracks effectively demonstrate the band’s range, but clash sonically: “The Aftertaste Of Both” is a deliberately mopey hymn to love sparked by a shared cigarette, while “WYC” is a two-minute blaze of punk riffs, floating syth lines, and a frenzied ride-and-kick-laden drum beat.

The EP’s eight-minute closer, “Shadows In The Rain,” is a true gem. The song’s first three minutes build a swirling crescendo of guitars and synths, perfectly accompanying Frey’s echoing baritone. The song is classic slowcore (faintly reminiscent of Codeine’s “Barely Real”), showcasing both the band’s influences and Frey’s mature sense of arrangement. There are surely moments of beauty in Broken Places, but one can’t help but feel Last Tide is holding back—as if begging for more experimentation than a minimally produced EP tends to allow.

Grade: B

http://www.avclub.com/dc/articles/last-tides-the-broken-pieces-ep,34503/