REVIEW

The 2026 EP from Fort Worth, Texas shoegaze band trauma ray.

Released via the acclaimed Dais Records, the band was formed in 2018 around vocalist/guitarist Uriel Avila and guitarist Jonathan Perez. They now operate as a five-piece with Darren Baun on bass, Nicholas Bobotas on drums, and Coleman Pruitt on guitar. Since their debut, trauma ray have refined a sound that merges Slowdive’s ethereal quality with the weight of Hum and Deftones and the dynamic range of ’90s alternative rock. In 2024, they released their debut full-length, “Chameleon,” followed by tours with Deafheaven, Loathe, and Touché Amoré the following year, establishing themselves as one of the notable acts in the current shoegaze revival.

Running five tracks and roughly 24 minutes, “Carnival” carries over the contrast between crushing volume and melody found on “Chameleon,” while pushing further into darker territory with aggressive riffs that frequently evoke grunge and doom metal.

#1 “carousel” serves as a restrained, drumless introduction. The noise gradually grows denser, building an ominous sense of anticipation before seamlessly flowing into #2. From this point onward, the EP sinks rapidly into much deeper darkness.

#2 “Hannibal” immediately hits with abrasive, muscular riffs that draw from metal and grunge. Against this heavy backdrop, the vocals deliver the desperate question “Tell Me Why?” with palpable emotion, commanding attention without being swallowed by the sheer weight of the instrumentation.

#3 “Méliès” stands out with its melancholic yet melodic riffing. Rather than conventional shoegaze, the track calls to mind the atmospheric doom metal and post-metal traditions associated with bands such as Katatonia and Swallow the Sun. Yet the ethereal, reverb-drenched vocals retain a distinctly shoegaze-like texture. The balance between these two worlds feels natural, offering a fresh angle even for longtime shoegaze listeners. The outro gradually shifts into a delicate passage, leaving behind a fragile, lingering afterglow.

The real centerpiece of the EP is #4 “Funhouse.” It opens with a slow tempo reminiscent of funeral doom, accompanied by suffocatingly dark distorted guitars that pull the listener straight into the abyss. Once the initial onslaught subsides, fragile vocals emerge, sounding as though they might break at any moment, only for the heavy guitars to return and reconnect the two extremes. Light and darkness, delicacy and force continually collide throughout the track. It could easily be considered the defining expression of “Carnival”’s dark aesthetic. The opening doom section feels somewhat detached from the rest of the composition, though integrating it more organically could make an already compelling track even more cohesive.

#5 “Clown” suddenly shifts toward melodic shoegaze. Even so, true to trauma ray’s identity, it remains considerably heavier than the genre’s conventional fare. With its title referring to the figure of the clown, the track suggests the self-deprecation and anguish concealed behind the smile of someone playing the fool, closing the EP with an uneasy aftertaste beneath its bright, inviting surface.

Given the title “Carnival,” one might expect something festive and colorful, making the contrast with the actual sound all the more striking. Alongside the cover art depicting a ruined carousel, the EP is steeped not in celebration but in an atmosphere of unease. There is something distinctly reminiscent of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes—a sinister, dreamlike world lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly festive carnival.

“Carnival” is a strong showcase of trauma ray’s range, reaching beyond shoegaze into metal, grunge, and other forms of heavy music while binding these influences together through a consistent dark aesthetic. More than simply pushing their sound into heavier territory, the EP reveals a band increasingly comfortable exploring the darkness at the edges of shoegaze.