Heavy Winged - Sunspotted

Type debut for Not Not Fun, Digitalis and Aurora Borealis luminaries Heavy Winged.

Like an unholy union between the sheet-noise of Yellow Swans and the blissful sub-harmonic transcendence of early
Mogwai or Sonic Youth.

Heavy Winged are a sprawling North American trio made up of drummer Jed Bindeman, bassist Brady Sansone and
guitarist Ryan Hebert. Over the last few years the band have released a cacophonous splatter of cassettes, vinyl and
cdrs for Not Not Fun, Digitalis, Aurora Borealis and a handful of other esteemed imprints. Most of these have been
mercilessly grimy signifiers of their buzzing free-rock style, and were recorded poorly to almost accentuate the harsh
guitar tones and double-time blast beats. This latest jagged offering however is a rare beast in the Heavy Winged canon,
offering a higher fidelity peek into their muddled world.

This time around the band escaped to a ‘real’ studio to record two slices of extended sludge rock, which come across
as wider than ever thanks to some fresh recording techniques. Something like an unholy union between the sheet-noise
of Yellow Swans and the blissful sub-harmonic transcendence of early Mogwai or Sonic Youth, ‘Sunspotted’ is an album
that takes tried and tested sounds and bends them beyond recognition. Sure plenty of bands have made distorted,
blurred, guitar noise before, but rarely with the conviction and wit of Heavy Winged. With their early explorations into
doom and metal we find the band on a high, framing their high-octane jitter into something that could almost be mistaken
for beautiful. Just as the aforementioned Yellow Swans took their sound from the outer reaches of noise to something,
dare I say it, pretty, Heavy Winged have focused their three individual powers to come up with an album that revels in its
depth and shimmering beauty.

It might take a few listens to reveal its layers but ‘Sunspotted’ is a challenging and rewarding listening experience.
Standing at the top of the band’s already estimable catalogue of albums and EPs, this album finds them at a key
moment, a moment where they have found a balance between fidelity and grit, harmony and discord. Step in, turn it up
and let yourself descend.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Breathe Life, 2. Vapour Trails

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