REVIEW

The third album from Belgian shoegaze band Slow Crush.

Since forming in 2017, Slow Crush have built a distinctive aesthetic that merges shoegaze with elements of grunge, post-metal, and slowcore — pairing decadent, heavy soundscapes with ethereal vocals. The band currently consists of Isa Holliday (vocals / bass), Jelle H. Ronsmans (guitar), Nic Placklé (guitar), and Frederik Meeuwis (drums).

“Thirst” marks the band’s first full-length release since signing to Pure Noise Records, the label known for its hardcore and emo roster. Production was handled by Lewis Johns, whose credits include Svalbard and Rolo Tomassi. Written under intensely demanding conditions, the album channels a sustained sense of tension and momentum across its ten tracks. As the band themselves have described it as their strongest work to date, the record naturally blends experimentation with spontaneity, resulting in a more layered and expansive sound.

#1 “Thirst” opens the album with unprecedented intensity, intertwining crushing riffs and massive drums while Isa Holliday’s voice functions almost as another instrument dissolved into the noise itself. The result is both abrasive and strangely beautiful.

#2 “Covet” is a driving track fueled by punk urgency and grunge-infused roughness. The saxophone introduced near the end — reportedly an idea from producer Lewis Johns — adds a striking sense of warmth and fluidity against the song’s otherwise dry, scorched atmosphere.

#3 “Cherry” slowly unfolds its melancholy through heavy rhythms before erupting into a surge of energy after the breakdown and relentless drum barrage. It strongly captures Slow Crush’s defining contrast between stillness and motion, light and darkness.

#4 “Leap” closes the album’s first half with a structure that shifts from a folk-like introduction into overwhelming walls of sound.

#5 “Hollow” serves as an interlude that transitions from fragile restraint into screams, effectively functioning as the turning point between the album’s two halves.

#6 “Haven” wraps itself in star-like shimmering textures, illuminating a yearning for love and emotional refuge. It represents one of the album’s most graceful and luminous moments.

#7 “While You Dream Vividly” drifts from a piano-led introduction into wavering guitars and floating vocals. Alongside “Haven,” it emphasizes the record’s dreamlike and immersive side.

#8 “Bloodmoon” stands among the album’s darkest moments. As the lyric “Il n’y a que du noir, There is only dark” suggests, the track pulls the listener deeper and deeper into oppressive darkness through its massive sonic weight.

#9 “Ógilt” and #10 “Hlýtt” function as a connected closing sequence. Beginning with delicate tones, the songs gradually build through waves of silence and catharsis before reaching a towering climax enhanced by screams and overwhelming atmosphere.

While preserving the band’s signature ethereal mood, “Thirst” pushes further into heaviness and immersion, making it feel like the culmination of everything Slow Crush have pursued so far. It is undoubtedly one of the essential shoegaze releases of 2025.

The band also completed a Japan tour in 2026. At their Shimokitazawa SHELTER performance that I attended, the coexistence of crushing volume and remarkably clear vocals revealed a level of potential comparable to key modern acts such as Wisp, Nothing, and Whirr. With reports of major plans already scheduled following the tour, attention is naturally turning toward the band’s next chapter.

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