Before the past few years boom of modern day Shoegazer, there were a handful of bands earlier this decade reveling in the sound. There were the Jesus & Mary Chain worshiping Raveonettes & BRMC, who most casual fans are familiar with, but there were also the obscurer (and ultimately more adventurous) pair of Skywave and Alcian Blue. Skywave who would eventually break-up and give us modern-day gazers Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers while Alcian Blue would spawn Screen Vinyl Image… who like their Alcian Blue are once again pushing things to darkest corners possible.

If you’re unfamiliar with Alcian Blue (Note to self: Future Digging For Fire) and I doubt most people are. They are probably best characterized by a sound that fused My Bloody Valentine with the death knell of Joy Division. Screen Vinyl Image really doesn’t veer too far from that general tone, but refines and pushes the sound a whole lot further than Alcian Blue ever did in their career. While still dark and brooding, the game changer between then and now is heavy reliance of synths as a driving force behind their sound.

Simple yet rigid riffage crackles into dense feedback under ethereal synth swells that collide head on with pulsating beats (both live and sequenced) gives Interceptors a uniquely mechanical identity that is catchy, warm and transfixing. For 11 tracks there is a tug of war between beats and ambiance that thankfully for us sees no clear winner.

While I realize dipping some toes into darker waters is nothing new for Shoegazers, I really hope this album gets some larger attention outside of this blog because it is surely deserving of a wider audience. Especially with a Shoegaze revival in full swing to the fledgling Gothy/Wave bands quickly forming. Interceptors has established a fine precedent for Gothgaze and I want more of it!