Parannoul - "Gold River"

South Korean shoegaze band Parannoul have shared a new song called "Gold River."

Sometimes a song slowly builds before unveiling itself, a brief intro to set the scene before the track clicks into place. Other times, a song drops you right into the deep end. Parannoul's latest track, "Gold River," arrives with no context and from the moment you hit play, you're instantly immersed within the song's towering walls of sound. There's a brief bit of respite, as if you're coming up to the surface to gather your surroundings before it once again collapses into a beautiful and overpowering force of sonics. Dilapidated drums crackle with distortion, the sheer intensity of the track overpowering the microphone and leaving the listener absolutely leveled by the absolute force that comes with it. There's still little we know about the band and this track doesn't do anything to give us clues or connections to those who are responsible for the music (there is, however, a glimpse of a live band in the video that could be Parannoul, but even that remains a mystery). Instead, the project lets the music speak for itself and "Gold River" shouts with extreme volume that fits in stunningly with the likes of post-rock titans like Mogwai or the surging roars of classic-era Smashing Pumpkins. The sound swells with purpose, so much so that it all can't be contained as the decibels hit the upper limits to the point where it sounds like the song might actually burst apart into pieces. It's unclear, as always, what will be next from the band, but for now we are treated to another high octane and white-knuckled thrill ride that feels like it's always about to fly off the rails without a moment's notice.