"Shoegaze" is one of the most overused terms in the musical lexicon these days. Sure, the phrase is thrown around semi-interchangeably with "dream pop," but at its heart it's all about the influence of Kevin Shields and My Blood Valentine, the ultimate woofer-quaking band and purveyors of space, psychedelia and catharsis through volume.
Kraus is a band that doesn't forget it's shoegaze roots. The solo venture of one Will Kraus, the project's LP Path caused a stir upon it's release in March via Terrible Records, by recalling the noisy cacophony and lovely melody that marked MBV's output, yet with a twist of modernized effects. It's mildly antisocial and downright gorgeous to the core, like a sweet lullaby being sung across a crackling radio. "Bum," the second track from the record, is representative of the whole, alternately sweet and nefarious, leaning heavily on a bent guitar line that repeats throughout. The video for "Bum" visually emulates the aesthetics of the song through a series of colorful, washed-out images, beautiful yet degraded, and the clip serves as an excellent entryway into Kraus' overall approach. Check it out for the first time above, and stream Path in full below.
Kraus tour dates with NOLIFE:
07/31 Chicago, IL - Schubas
08/01 Detroit, MI - El Club
08/02 Toronto, ON - Monarch
08/03 Montreal, QC - l'esco
08/05 Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs
08/06 Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
08/07 Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
08/08 Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
08/09 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
08/10 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
08/12 Nashville, TN - The Basement
08/13 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
08/14 New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
