So Totally’s Sophomore album Double Your Relaxation is an exhilarating collage and twisted spin on the ‘shoegaze’ genre trend. The band’s use of atmospheric melodies and rhythms make for a chameleon-like experience. By blending genres such as dream pop, rock, and shoegaze, So Totally sets the stage for listeners with the thrill of their immersive craft. The album opens with “Welcome Back,” a track that through its rhythmic tones initially lures the listener in with its distortion, intertwining them with the inertia of striking guitar riffs, making for a seamless journey. Roya Weidman’s distorted vocal delivery cuts through the climatic production, easing his way into listeners mind, body and soul. By contrast, the lead single, “Distinct Star” throws listeners into a symphony of melodic cacophonous production that gradually soothes the listener with wispy vocals in a way that leads So Totally into the indie pop part of Double Your Relaxation.
The album’s title seems to allude to a hypnosis tape. The phrase “relaxation” refers to an atmospheric state the listener may enter, becoming entranced in its environment. Double Your Relaxation was carefully crafted by So Totally, in a way that whisks its listener away into a sense of familiarity through its initial comforting production; then shakes it up with memorable riffs and tones that seem to linger after each track. The songs off of Double Your Relaxation may be challenging at first listen, but once the listener becomes accustomed to their production, they will be captivated and immersed into So Totally’s atmosphere.
Other tracks that emphasize So Totally’s ambition and drive towards pushing the genre of shoegaze further sonically, include “Weak to Leaf,” a track that is reminiscent of early ’90s bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Smashing Pumpkins. The song’s production consists of screeching walls of noise and guitars that seem to illuminate the album’s message of inviting listeners into their world. Furthermore, the track showcases guitar solos, inflicting a psychedelic lingering that stays with listeners long after the song is over.
Another track, considered the album’s middle of the road moment is the dreamy “BTW.” The slow build up juxtaposed against Weidman’s mystifying vocals creates a feeling of drifting further from reality and into another dimension. On the other hand, “Strange Way” pulls listeners in with its abundance of atmospheric strumming guitars. The music video for the song is a hard hitting ballad, ambitious in its use of stop motion and puppets; illustrating an unknown world, as if the band is waiting to be discovered.
Founded in 2015, the Philadelphia quartet consists of Roya Weidman, (lead vocals, guitar) Matt Arbiz (lead vocals, guitar), Ryan Wildsmith (bass) and Joe Mclaughlin (drums). Double Your Relaxation is their most recent release since their debut, In The Shape Of… (2019). The album is a culmination of So Totally’s ambition, drive and resilience by standing out from the crowd by taking the genre shoegaze and combining its sound with a production of fuzz guitars and distorted vocals into a package newer fans will enjoy. The band has slowly built up their charismatic sound by pushing the landscape of shoegaze into the forefront.
Musically, Double Your Relaxation is a solid body of work, that will captivate a new generation of fans. From the rhythmic tones of “Welcome Back” to the atmospheric immersive closer “Grass,” listeners will begin to understand the genre of shoegaze and its significance. It’s best to fully experience this with headphones and a quiet room, letting So Totally’s brooding vibes and immersive world take its audience through an adventure of discovery. Once the listener is captivated by the lingering guitar strumming and heavy reverbs of each track, they will appreciate So Totally’s spin on the genre through their sonically charged album. It is an album that not only respects shoegaze, but utilizes its history and meshes it further into the future of indie rock music. Highly recommended for fans of shoegaze, meshed with the sounds of dream pop, noise, and rock. So Totally is a band aspired, calmly crafting their journey here, now and the future.
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