Spectreview: bauwaves – u r everything

-PURPLE-

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At its core, u r everything is a quick, dirty, true-blue alt-rock record with maybe four or five chords to its name. Yet there’s a formidable unspoken force behind those four or five chords that keeps the ears attuned across its runtime. Listening, I’m reminded of why so many records from the SST era succeeded in achieving their humble goals, how they prioritized feeling and attitude over technicality or even compositional variety. The spiritual links to that era are clear – bauwaves are comprised of members from DIY bands new (Wild America and Anchor, both from Austin) and old (The Fall, Darker My Love) – but frontman Lew Houston’s wailings go beyond your typical woe-is-me sentiments. The guy sounds psychically exhausted, so much so that listening to him warble out grievances and repeat phrases often feels like diving into a private journal, with all the blunt, potentially mortifying details that comes with it. Each track is so flooded in Houston’s depressive histrionics that it weirdly laps cliche’ and becomes a genuine mix of affecting and disturbing. It’s as if he recorded takes in the fetal position. Its turnaround ending is maybe a little abrupt, but on the whole his captivating set of performances, along with the band’s tempo-shifting shamble and a certain Mascisesque grandeur, make u r everything more than the sum of its humble parts.

Recommended for red eyes and headaches.