Clothes On Our Body

Weatherday and Asian Glow have formed a musical union in the form of “Weatherglow,” an EP that fuses Shoegaze, Noise-pop, and Emo influences into six experimental tracks. Weatherday, an emo and noise pop artist from Sweden who goes by the alias Sputnik, gained Bandcamp sensation through their 2019 album “Come In.” Asian Glow is an anonymous emo Lo-fi artist from South Korea. Their previous projects include the 2021 shoegaze album “Cull Ficle,” and a collaboration album with fellow South Korean Shoegazers, Parranoul. Both artists are well known in their niche. Despite their geographic distance, the two artists collaborate seamlessly on “Weatherglow,” layering Sputnik’s signature raspy vocals and abrasive instrumentation on Asian Glow’s plucky, technical guitarwork and lush Shoegaze texture.

While Weatherday and Asian Glow both have lots of musical potential, the album’s production style can feel a bit disappointing at first listen. The artists give us much to appreciate. The most successful tracks are worth a deeper dive. There are tracks such as “Late Time Stroll” in which the fuzzy production feels powerful, ultimately evoking nostalgia for band Car Seat Headrest, specifically their unrefined 2011 internet indie classic “Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror).” The two projects both gain a poignant rawness and homespun charm from their DIY production. However, when mishandled, that bumbling, youthful energy becomes stilted and awkward, as seen on “Melt a Bed,” the first track on the EP. “Melt a Bed” is an emotional rollercoaster of volume and vitality, an unexpected collage of sounds in its structural arrangement. The track begins with an enthusiastic voice that welcomes the listener to plunge into the EP, instructing, “Let’s go, Weatherglow!” The vocals line gives way to intense, dynamic guitar and drums. The overproduction and strain of the instrumentation are enticing in the first few moments, but then the vocals and distinction of the instruments become muddled.

Despite initial audial shortcomings, the lyrical content of “Melt a Bed” communicates complex themes of relationships and identity through the use of metaphors about clothes: “We are / Now just clothes on our body / And the rest of us is / Left to chance, if even that.” The transitory and discardable nature of clothing alludes to the fleeting nature of life experience. This metaphor extends to later tracks in the EP, “Center” and “Look Alive Sunshine.” In the former, Weatherday considers a second chance of love: “Sometimes I wonder who I would have been / If I left my jacket inside.” Here, the clothes veil the authentic and protected core of who we are in relationships. In intimacy, we often conceal who we are with vehement concern for being truly seen by another. The clothes, specifically the “jacket” in this verse, are about shedding those layers with understandable reservations. That narrative is also revisited in “Look Alive Sunshine” as the vocals slowly enunciate: “I don’t want to / But I have to / Got my jacket / And we go out.” With trepidation, the subject covers themselves with the retrieved jacket as a layer of protection to face the future of what lies ahead.

“Clockwork around the Ache” and “Center” are the most nuanced tracks on “Weatherglow.” The former is a track full of hazy and prolonged bass lines. In this track, the duo highlights their compatibility by punctuating the dichotomy between speed and intensity. Weatherday and Asian Glow are seemingly singing and playing in slow motion, yet the song still oozes with passion. “Center” is all-absorbing. The melodic instrumentation gradually gains intensity as the song progresses. Steady increases in volume and tempo, a notable feature of Weatherday’s past work, are well-executed, recurring features of the project. The vocals on this track are the most highlighted as they repeat, “Me, center of the nighttime.” As this line is repeated, the vocals come across as monotone and transfixed, backed by catchy, hypnotic, metallic riffs. Suddenly, the cacophonous universe of “Weatherglow” is suspended as the song pauses dramatically halfway through. A moment of hesitation holds suspense before an inferno of noise and electricity, double-time drumming, and frantic synth riffs. Just as quickly as it sped up, the mood of the song gives way to a somber tone, as Weatherday and Asian Glow’s voices drip with desperation and yearning: “Will you remember me? / If something happens.” The fragility in their vocals epitomizes the insecurity of the lyrics, giving the track a uniquely potent emotional resonance. This fragility is juxtaposed in the resentful tones of the final track, “Jet,” which ends the project with a burst of electric guitar and drums. The EP concludes with the slow strum of ambient guitar and then fades into silence.

While the conclusion of “Weatherglow” is very uncharacteristic of the rest of the project’s sound profile, it is somehow still fitting for an EP packed with constant surprises. Weatherday and Asian Glow navigate the throes of young relationships over a tasteful fusion of their musical styles. Hopefully, the future holds even more mature and complex collaborations from Weatherglow.