Curelight Wounds

After the release of their latest EP, ‘Strange Collapse’, in March Curelight Wounds now have a catalogue of DIY punk songs capable of drawing anyone to their enigmatic wall of sound.
Genre: Shoegaze, lofi, punk
If you like: Dinosaur Jr., The Horrors, The Kills

They say:
“Sounds influenced by whammy bars, noise, the 90s.

Brooklyn, NY.”

We say:
Black, dark and occasionally haunting: a concise view on what to expect from Brooklyn’s shoegazing outfit Curelight Wounds. With a very limited online presence and minimal information about them readily available, Curelight Wounds may be filled with almost as much mystery as the role-playing game from which they took their name. Delve deeper though and you will find a chasm of unearthed material that has been building since 2013.

Now with four EPs and a single release under their belts the band seem very comfortable flitting between a number of neo-punk sounds while their musical instict often takes them back to checking out their footwear. With vocals very much put on the back-burner, Curelight Wounds put more emphasis on their overall sound and exuding a depressive energy that builds along with the highly distorted guitar.

‘Strange Collapse’, a set of four tracks featuring less joy than the opening scene ‘Up’, really draws you in with its distinctive sense of melancholy. Opening track ‘Never Know’ has a fast-moving, industrial sounding vibe that fires you up in seconds while ‘Nothing Clear’ is very The Horrors-esque with its broody nature. Curelight Wound’s stroke of brilliance though is its closing track. ‘Pure’ is reminiscent of Joy Division’s debut single ‘Transmission’ and with any luck could become the band’s flagship track. - Never Enough Notes

Brooklyn based noise makers ‘Curelight Wounds’ have returned with their highly anticipated follow up to their impressive 2016 four track EP release ‘Wearing The Strings’. This new EP is the bands seventh release to date and is aptly titled ‘Constant Mind’. It’s as melodically fuzzy as it’s predecessors and pulls with it many influencial genres of music from noisy shoegaze to post-punk, noise-rock to lo-fi. ‘Constant Mind’ gets it’s full release on the 20th November 2017 and will be available to buy/download via curelightwounds.bandcamp.com from that date.

In a broiling undercurrent of senses pummelling instrumentation ‘Curelight Wounds’ unleash a sonic call to arms in the guise of ‘Sew It Back’, the opening salvo on this impressive collection of tracks and the EP’s lead single. Bass lines throb deliciously with post-punk abandon as they stick fast to a busy tambourine led percussive pattern and dodge the searing whip of those ever present lead guitars. It’s accompanying vocal lines quiver menacingly as they pulse through layers of reverb, brandishing an addictive 90’s alternative edginess that is very difficult to ignore. Up next, ‘Hot House’ is a swirling sonic behemoth that starts slow with those woozy whammy bar guitar theatrics before building progressively into a throbbing, bass heavy beast steeped in repetitiveness, screaming guitars and monotone vocalisations. It’s a sublime track and highlights what seems to me to be ‘Curelight Wounds’ perfecting the marvellous art of the ‘no nonsense’ two minute track that hits the nail on it’s proverbial head.

The EP’s penultimate piece entitled ‘Distant Song’ shivers on a melody infused bass signature used primarily to instil a calmness as all around it explodes into a cacophony of noise. Guitar lines envelope nearly everything as a steady drum beat keeps meticulous time allowing the vocal lines to ride the tempo sitting comfortably in amongst the sonic melee. The ‘Constant Mind’ EP closes out with ‘Hard Sand’, a pulsating monster musically reminiscent of early ‘Pavement’ or even ‘The Fall’ with it’s driving bass signature, skittish percussion and those wailing guitars. It’s a brilliant piece of music that ticks every sonic box as far as I’m concerned – fuzz, noise, throbbing melodic bass and tons of reverb. An absolutely brilliant end to thoroughly enjoyable EP.

Bravo!

5/5 - Primal Music Blog

It may seem odd that, of all the shoegaze releases of the moment (who thought that this revival would live as long and vigorously ...), I choose to talk about a very classic EP at first sight, available in "name your price "and by a group / artist who seems to be looking to stay in the shadows (difficult to find anything on the net, except for an origin in Brooklyn). But that's definitely what I've listened to most in the past month.



The first quality of Strange Collapse is its duration: four titles so no longer lasts more than four minutes for 12 big minutes of music that cleans the ears! Not only is it ideal at certain times of the day, but above all it avoids the weariness that occurs quite easily in disks abusing this kind of sound effects (reverb, distortion, fuzz, singing "trafficked" ...). Not that here, the songs are short, direct and never give way to the musical onanism dear to too many psyche / shoegaze bands. They are also sufficiently differentiated so that one never has the impression to be in front of a long porridge.



Because this is the main quality of Curelight Wounds : his ability, behind the sound package, to write real good songs, catchy and catchy (what you do not risk to say ... no I will not swing ...) that get stuck in the brain. Since the excited and noisy ' Never Know ' evoking a surviving Swervedriver to a ' Pure ' at once hovering and speeding, we not only have no time to be bored but we feel his body start to Agitate gradually: the head and shoulders begin to move gently from the first seconds, but when we reach the end, we are surprised to have the legs that are on the move .... and press again on Play! - Dans Le ur Du Son

Brooklyn noise maker Steve Schwadron (otherwise known as Curelight Wounds) returns with his third EP ‘Silver Sand’ on April 22. Late last week the title track was posted on Soundcloud and today we have a sneak peek at the song ‘Ride’. The four song collection is an onslaught, with wall of sound noise rock, shoegaze whammy chaos and post punk vocals to clean out your eardrums! Check out more here. - Sounds Better With Reverb

A year since releasing the brilliant Wearing the Strings EP, Curelight Wounds releases the Constant Mind EP. It is a blistering listen, with four tracks, none longer than 2:54 each, which machinegun into your speakers. For the uninitiated, Curelight Wounds is the solo project of Steve Schwadron from Dead Leaf Echo. Schwadron plays all the instruments on this fuzzy, blasting, triumphantly defiant set of tracks that play on the edges of dense haze and drilling beats.

Constant Mind begins with “Sew It Back”. Pounding drums are companions to moaning, fuzzed out guitar and gristly vocals. Taking a cue from shoegaze circles, the vocals are buried deep in the mix, as if Schwadron were buried in the tumult of swirling walls of sound. It gives the track an urgent feel and communicates an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. This is punkgaze at its finest: explosive, defiant, and deeply emotive. “Hot House” slows the tempo down a bit with the same urgent, fuzzy vocals but they create a cadence like they are pulling the drums and bass along. The guitars eddy about, creating a whirlpool of noise. As the track moves towards its brief end, layers move aside until the fade out.

“Distant Song” has an aural landscape with bendy guitars that play with out of tune, dissonant moments. As I’ve said on other occasions, Schwadron’s bass tones are just perfection and it’s no different here. There is more of a shoegaze infusion here but that punk, DIY feel never disappears. Angst and grit really do populate this EP and it’s powerfully done. “Hard Sand” is another driving track with a repetitive vocal lyric. Schwadron repeats “It’s Just the Way It Goes” over and over and it really is hypnotic. Guitars growl and high hat adds various textures. It’s a brilliant end to this all too short EP.

Schwadron’s brand of punkgaze is electric. Gritty and swirling with a tempest of angst, Constant Mind is just what the doctor ordered for our times. Powerful, punchy, and no-holds-bar, Schwadron demonstrates that he’s a true talent both as a writer and as an all around musician. Download a free copy at the Bandcamp link below! - Somewhere Cold

Marking his seventh release since 2013, Brooklyn based musician Steve Schwadron (of Dead Leaf Echo)’s alternate project Curelight Wounds released their latest EP, Constant Mind, to kick off the start of this week. Comprised of two and three minute tunes chock full of guitar driven walls of sound and raw vocals, Curelight Wounds’ four tracks pack a quick and gutsy punch. Their gritty chords reminisce back to lo-fi 90’s garage and shoegaze bands, its rough around the edges recording and aural distortion naturally drawing towards DIY aesthetics. Their first single, “Sew It Back”, drives discordant energy from start to finish, the track’s jarring beats naturally pummeling through without pause. - Anon Magazine

Q. When did Curelight Wounds start? Tell us about the history...
A few summers ago, it was something to work on in between bands. The goal was to just record some songs on my own at first, and then I decided to start releasing them.

Q: Who are your influences?
I feel like a lot of random bands have influenced this project over its course and for different reasons. The Lucy Show, Medicine, Ride, The Chameleons. I really like the approach to recording Guided By Voices took on their earlier stuff, or at least how I picture it in my mind.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
I could think about this for a month, but off the top of my head,
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine,
The Breeders - Last Splash,
God Lives Underwater - Life in the So Called Space Age,
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless,
Gang of Four - Entertainment.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
This has been more of a recording project up to this point. Curelight Wounds did a show because Tape Deck Mountain offered and as a big fan I couldn't say no. There was going to be another show but it got cancelled because of an Ebola scare at the venue. There will be more shows though.

Q. How do you describe Curelight Wounds sounds?
I guess earlier punk influences the drums and bass most of all, but the guitars are going for more of a 90s noisey shoegaze kind of thing. I feel like there is a bit of a lofi element to it, since I am not a professional engineer, and the gear I am using to record is definitely minimal.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Most of the songs are written in the studio. I usually start with bass, add drums, layer some guitars and then do vocals. I try not to re-record too much stuff to keep things moving and I also feel like it retains a better energy than a part that is stiff from doing it 25 times.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Some newer bands I really dig are Sauna Youth, Bloody Knives, Tiers, Tape Deck Mountain, Pale Dian, Public Memory.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Curelight Wounds covered Flying Saucer Attack "Standing Stone" once, and I have been messing on and off with a Magnetic Fields cover.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
To keep writing and recording songs, play a few shows, maybe find a label to put out a 7 inch one of these days.

Q: Any parting words?
Go see a gig tonight - The Blog That Celebrates Itself

Brooklyn noise maker Curelight Wounds is back with a fresh single called ‘Eye To Eye’. It follows April’s ‘Silver Sand‘ EP and continues to blaze a noise rockin’ trail! ‘Eye To Eye’ layers industrial/noise rock sounds over a post punk rhythm section. While the b-side ‘Clear Enough’ is a little more relaxed, it’s a woozy psych rocker with loads of whammy bar action. Pick up the two tracker via Bandcamp from September 9. - Sounds Better With Reverb