Lowsunday - elesgiem (2024 Remaster) (2024) [Hi-Res]

ELESGIEM's 25th anniversary sees a sparkling remastered edition that includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks from back in the day. 1999’s ELESGIEM is glorious! With shoegaze in the midst of a revival thanks to attention bringing together fifty-something rockers, TikToking teens, and new young bands finding solace in the lush sound, Pittsburgh PA’s lowsunday returns as a late-90s originator of the sound. The 4-piece act brought something new and refreshing to the darkwave scene. Their effortlessly smart and catchy songs tread the sonic waters with screeching guitars and layer upon layer of arsenic-laced melodies crowned with bittersweet and emotive vocals from songwriter Shane Sahene.

At the height of the band's success, in 2001 Projekt issued a second-edition of their self-released ELESGIEM. lowsunday was comprised of founding member, guitarist/vocalist Shane Sahene, Bobby Spell (bass), Shawn Bann (guitar/keyboard) & A.T. Vish (drums). After going on hiatus a few years after ELESGIEM’s release, longtime bandmates and writing partners Sahene and Spell have returned and continue to write and record material for an upcoming lowsunday album.

Sahene reflects, “Bobby and I are thrilled that this remastered version is available; thrilled that it could be an introduction to our music for those who missed it the first time. The music has been unavailable digitally for so long. It will be a great way to reconnect with fans from back in the day. Man! We loved those days! The dreampop and shoegaze world was much smaller than it is today but still vibrant. We felt so fortunate to be a part of it. To see where the genre has gone is amazing and still inspiring.”

Spell takes over the thought, “We constantly hear new music that really grabs us. I think the genre blew up recently for all of the reasons that we fell in love with it in the first place — the music is very escape oriented, often melancholy and sincere but somehow uplifting. And really, the sound is a reflection of what’s happening inside. It has always brought Shane and I comfort."

As one of the bands who pushed the American Shoegaze / Post-Punk second wave to new heights, lowsunday returns, reconnected with where they began with dedication and love for “wall of sound” guitars and atmospheres, melancholic vocals and hook-ridden melodies.