ALBUM REVIEW: Omit – Grivo

Austinian outfit GRIVO may not be a familiar name, but they’re adamant that’ll just be a matter of time. Slowly establishing a name for themselves in the downtempo pop and shoegaze scenes, they’re looking to plant their flag firmly with second album Omit. Across its seven tracks, the band channel art rock, doom and pop through their own take on shoegaze. It’s an airy and dynamic mix, minimalist even in its busiest and most urgent moments..

Opener Trammel initially brings doom to bear with a brief crush, but soon opens out into far more spaced out realms; not stoner, but certainly otherworldly in its swirling, ethereal sound. Vocalist Timothy Heck occupies a breathy zone somewhere between ASMR and singing that’s melodious and calming without crossing the line to monotonous. Trammel does have its heavier moments; particularly where distorted chords make themselves known, lending that doomy atmosphere initially hinted at in the opener. It’s a theme GRIVO repeat across Omit, though they do offer up at least some variety. The title track itself brings in lashings of art-rock to its miasmic opening, its almost synth-like guitars and rolling snare drums moving gradually through to its eventual chorus that drowns with its immersive soundscapes. 

Throughout Omit, GRIVO follow a well-trodden path; hazy guitars and languid drums both sit alongside syrupy, breathy vocals as songs ebb and flow. The doom influence isn’t particularly pronounced for the most part, the downtempo pop being far more identifiable within the morose melodies. Fatigue threatens to do just that though; even with the album’s frank and open exploration of emotion, it fails to stir much beyond its namesake until the final yearning melody played out on a single guitar.

Atmosphere is a key component to GRIVO‘s sound, and it’s something they have in spades. At no point do the band ever rein in the gloom, instead wallowing in it, especially in the slow, but no less distraught, Fatal Blue, or the grit of the aforementioned Trammel. Attuned has the barest hints of poppier, REM-esque melodies in its guitar motifs, all the while ensuring the gloom remains complete and smothering. Penultimate song Langour even flirts with memorability, its opening motif something of an earworm as it bookends vocal passages. 

The overwhelming feeling imparted by Omit is one of gloom; not quite sadness or despair, but certainly with not even the faintest hint of positivity. Instead, it finds emotional catharsis in morose, languid expression. That does mean there’s a tendency for songs to blur together and become indistinct, as does the dearth of particularly ground-breaking or new ideas. GRIVO are a shoegaze band through and through, and Omit is a shoegaze album. It’s well-written and well-performed and is perfectly happy not to venture outside of its chosen path. Shoegaze fans will find a lot to love about Omit, and it’s certainly a pleasant, if morose experience, but those seeking something more genre-fluid should look elsewhere. 

Rating: 7/10

Omit is set for release on January 28th via Church Road Records.

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