The Shacks - Haze [3CD Rough Trade Deluxe Edition] (2018)

One of the best debut albums of 2018. Fronted by 19-year-old singer / bassist Shannon Wise and 21-year-old guitarist / producer Max Shrager, The Shacks are already well on their way to becoming one of the year's big breakouts, and their remarkable debut album, Haze, solidifies their status as a band with ability to deliver on the well-deserved buzz.

Produced together by Shrager and Big Crown co-founder Leon Michels (who's played with Bradley, Sharon Jones, and Fields in addition to working with The Arcs, Lana Del Rey, and countless others), the album was recorded in bits and pieces between Shrager's basement and Michels' Diamond Mine studio, which the Observer dubbed "the Shangri La of Soul." Haze opens with the title track, which is, appropriately enough, the first song Shrager and Wise ever wrote together. It's a spare, smoky tune that shimmers and sparkles as it shifts in and out of focus, and it's an ideal gateway into the immersive world of The Shacks.

The 13 songs featured on Haze plays out like the soundtrack to some long lost 16mm film, beckoning you into their grainy, saturated world of analog beauty. In the short time that they've been together, The Shacks have already made an impressive mark. Their hypnotic cover of Ray Davies' This Strange Effect soundtracked a global iPhone commercial, one which actually stars Wise herself, and their self-titled EP earned the band dates with St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Chicano Batman, and their Big Crown Records label mates Lee Fields and The Expressions.