There has been an explosion of newer bands capturing similar vibes as the classic shoegaze and alternative rock artists from the 90s, with many bringing a heavier metallic sheen to the table. Texas based trauma ray is one that has generated a lot of buzz over the last four to five years and for good reason, as their EP’s and full-length Chameleon offered equal amounts of spacey, dreamlike melodies and the rougher metallic sheen of 90s and 2000s alternative. On their latest EP Carnival the band explores some darker and more reflective tones, exploring some of the drearier and slower sides of the alternative and grunge spectrum. It naturally expands upon trauma ray’s established style and pushes things outward, showcasing them as a band willing to try different things rather than falling into the same patterns.
A lot of shoegaze adjacent artists have run into issues over the years when it comes to following up some of their more influential work and not just repeating the same formula. This is one of those genres where its easy to make some minor tweaks and call it a day, so I can appreciate that trauma ray tried to push into some different directions on Carnival. Opener “carousel” gives you an indication of this, as it’s a moodier instrumental track that is driven forward by a haunting melody that feels like it could’ve been ripped out of the soundtrack of a psychological horror movie. “Hannibal” then brings in a bit of familiarity, as it alternates between heavier grunge sounding guitar work and shimmering shoegaze in a way that’s similar to the material on Chameleon. But it does adopt a slightly slower cadence, giving things a more reflective and inward-looking tone. The next two songs slow things even further, as “Méliès” weaves in more of post hardcore’s angst into the shimmering foundation while “Funhouse” has some hints of doom and post rock/slowcore, giving me hints of True Widow at certain points. Both tracks expand trauma ray’s style but I did find they dragged a bit by the end and it wasn’t until “Clown” kicked in that my attention was fully recaptured. “Clown” is the fastest number on the EP and it is the only one to have brighter flourishes, as its guitar leads have spacey qualities that give off a lot of the same energy as Failure.
Chameleon put a lot of echo on Uriel Avila’s vocals, purposefully muffling them beneath the wall of sound produced by the instrumentation. There are still some of these effects and production choices at work on Carnival but the singing doesn’t feel quite as buried by comparison and is given the chance to take the spotlight a bit more. This is most noticeable during the softer sections on “Funhouse”, where Avila showcases some airier pitches that feel fragile but draw you in. I’ve seen a lot of reports online that the singing comes through with a considerable amount of power live, and I’d be interested to hear trauma ray make Avila truly prominent in the mix on a future recording but it does still suit the approach the band is going for here.
Trauma ray has gone for a darker, drearier take on their sound on Carnival, opting for some slower and more exploratory songwriting compared to some of the driving rhythms on Chameleon. It naturally pulls in some additional alternative and even metal influences in addition to the shoegaze and grunge foundations from before, and while some of the slowest passages do drag when the material reaches its peak it does have just as much impact as the rest of their discography. I’ll be interested to hear how the group can bridge these two sides by the time they reach album number two, as there’s plenty of untapped territory they can still explore. Carnival is available from Dais Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg