Houston Duo Raudiver Implores You to LEAVE BEFORE DARK, But I Urge You to Defy Them
The couple who makes brooding, beautiful, goth-influenced, shoegaze-influnced darkwave together stays together… or however that old saying goes. Houston’s Raudiver, a band named after the godfather of EVP research, is Lauren Villareal Eddy and her husband Charles Eddy – and they fucking rock. Now, someone reading this may ask, “Justin, did you really need to use the ‘fuck’ word in that last sentence?” And, the answer to that is a resounding YES. Despite it taking me far too long to cover this album, it’s easily one of the best of 2024, any genre.
This is a must listen to fans of everything from the darker side of electro dance music to Garbage to Poe to PJ Harvey to Depeche Mode to Enya to… well… you get the point. This is a soundtrack for your next high, your next fuck, you next writing session, your next party, you name it. The album’s versatility hinges on its incredible balance of darkness and light. The ethereal vocals of Lauren and whimsical soundscapes pair with offbeats and deep, dark bass resonance that make the sound equally heavy and light.
For example, the 8th track of this 11 track work of pure art – “If I Should Wake” – has a powerful, thumping, bass heavy backdrop, while Lauren’s angelic beautiful vocals and harmonies derived from traditionally calm and graceful soundscapes take center stage. And, as the song bleeds seamlessly into the next track, “Razor Wire”, the mood turns a bit more brooding and we’re presented with the best Garbage song that Garbage never released.
Alas, I’m clearly glowing in my review of this gem, but it’s worthy of all this praise and more. Whether desiring a downtempo reprieve to your heavy industrial musical diet or you’ve been listened to a ton of dance oriented pop and trip-hop but need a bit more weight, this is the perfect album for you. This isn’t even to begin to mention the clear rockroll chops that went into the well-crafted blending of synthetic beats and traditional rock instrumentation. In fact, noise-rock nerds and fans of the powerful guitars of shoegaze legends will find some riffs from Charles that will not soon leave the mind and soul.
There’s a beautiful in the darkness here that is undeniable. So, even though the album is called Leave Before Dark, I certainly don’t recommend that. Keep this one playing into the wee hours of the night… in fact, I hear that if you have it playing at the Witching Hour with a candle burning, you may simultaneously see the faces of God and the Devil – both enjoying some crazy good tunes.
Raudiver on Geodesic Records
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Spotify
Bandcamp