Candace, New Future (Found Object)

Shoegaze that wows with melody and texture, not volume.

By Cris Lankenau

[TURNED-DOWN SHOEGAZE] For a band that ostensibly flies the shoegaze flag, Candace sidesteps the ear-shattering mantra of the genre's other acts that play at pointlessly high volumes. On New Future, the group employs a similar palette of sonic manipulation—roomy static accented by swirling, reverb-heavy melodies—but the true merit is the overt pop sensibility of each track. Like an extremely fatigued Velocity Girl, or maybe Chan Marshall fronting Slowdive, Candace exists in that ideal middle ground where the presentation contains all the chic style of a cooler foregone era, while the substance is a sincere, emotive expression channeled into smartly dressed pop. "Midnight Blue" is upbeat enough to soundtrack a party bus speeding along Pacific Coast Highway, while "Disappearing" employs such a tender coda it's easy to overlook the rusty armor of fuzz that surrounds Sarah Rose's voice as she croons, "I think I'm disappearing, baby." In addition to eschewing volume as a standard, Candace also excels at painting rich textures of sound for the trio's whispered, high-end arpeggios to rest on. There's a well-executed balance of earworm and ambient, so the tracks that are less immediately addictive reward repeat listens.

SEE IT: Candace plays Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., with Draemhouse, Cat Hoch and Talkative, on Thursday, March 17. 9 pm. $5. 21+.

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