* REDUCED DUE TO MINOR SHELF WEAR *

"There must exist an alternate universe wherein Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain and My Bloody Valentine‘s Kevin Shields grew up together, formed a band, and took the world by storm. Quantum physics being what it is and the separation of time and distance between Cobain and Shields being so small (astronomically speaking), it has to have happened somewhere in the multiverse. While we’ll never really know exactly what that pairing might sound like, I’d like to think it might be something like Austin’s Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes and as such I’ve decided heretofore to refer to their noisy, yet nuanced wall of sound as Grunge Gaze.

I first heard about Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes about two years ago when OVRLD and myself put on our Out of Step punk show at Beerland. CSSS was the only band on the bill that I hadn’t heard of before and at the time the two piece had just released their four song debut EP/demo Demoage. The Descendents reference title alone was enough to interest me and their sound proved rather unique, but seeing them play was something else completely. Imagine the layering and wall of sound on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless but coming solely from one guitarist and a drummer. That night put Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes on my map and they’re finally back (this time as a three piece) with their first, self-titled LP.

The album opens with the bold and raucous sound of “(I)” a track that literally sounds like an artful mashup of Loveless era MBV and early Nirvana. A wall of what sounds like 300 guitars roars in shortly after the track begins, accompanied by a lazy rhythm and Steve Pike’s throaty shout-growl. It’s in-your-face and it takes a moment to get used to, but it works to get the blood pumping and prime your ears for the unique sounds to come." - OVRLD