Perth/Boorloo post-shoegaze outfit Gloam offer up their dreamy new single Diving Heavy, taking an introspective look at disconnection and distraction. Written as a journal entry of sorts, the new song explores social withdrawal and a disconnection from self.
Mixed and mastered by long time collaborator Cameron Murphy at Opaque Studios, the single follows on from their May release Hinder, showcasing the band’s unique blend of ethereal soundscapes and relatable lyrical theming. Hinder delved into the intricate dynamics of clinging onto discomfort out of fear, reflecting a struggle with self-assurance that ultimately, and aptly, hinders the ability to voice one’s truth openly and move towards personal growth and empowerment. Hinder made waves across the globe, collecting plays on triple j programs, rotation on community radio stations and a spin BBC Radio 1 Rock Show.
HEAVY sat down with Gloam to chat about the band’s new music, and what’s still to come.
HEAVY: Tell us about how Diving Heavy came together and what some of the differences or similarities were creating it compared to your previous single Hinder?
GLOAM: Diving Heavy was the last song to be finalised for the EP before we went into the studio to record drums. We had originally booked in with Cameron Murphy (Opaque Audio) to work on just two songs, but leading up to recording drums, Cam suggested we add at least another track. Oli came up with an ambient acoustic guitar demo that week, came back to show us all, and after some discussion we decided to expand it into two tracks, with the latter being Diving Heavy. The chorus, rhythm and melody were taken from a demo written in 2021, and features the majority of the same chords from the ambient track that comes before it. We’re really excited for people to hear the two tracks together, as it’s a bit of a sonic journey to finish off the EP.
The main difference in process between Diving Heavy and Hinder is the time spent writing them. For Hinder, we had the opportunity to perform it at shows over the course of months before recording the final takes, so everything was pretty much already there by the time we were in the studio; vocals were set by Rowan after weeks of jamming, the pacing was established, and we had a really great performance chemistry with it. Contrastingly, Diving Heavy was shaped largely in the studio after the demo was put together. Oli wrote the skeleton of the lyrics, then Rowan refined it and added extra parts to fill it out. Cam had a lot of involvement and influence, helping us form the majority of the bones for the vocal melody and pacing, and structurally shaping it to be a well put together song.
H: You have already supported some massive heavyweights in Emo and Alternative such as Touché Amore, Movements, Citizen and Deafheaven. Who are some bands still on your bucket list that you’re hoping to share a stage with in the future?
G: We must admit that we feel extremely privileged to have shared the stage with some of these mentioned bands. I think that there are certainly a few heavyweights in the ‘gaze’ genre that would be a bit of a dream come true to be placed alongside at some point such as Lantlos, Trauma Ray, and DIIV just to name a couple. There’s a handful of bands doing some really great stuff on the other side of the country as well, that we’d be quite passionate to share a stage with one day in the not-so-distant future such as Dust, Armlock, Garage Sale, Post Heaven and Futureheaven.
H: You’ve been alluding to a forthcoming EP on socials with the release of each single, what can you tell us about the EP?
G: The two singles we’ve already released are the first and last songs of the EP, and there’s another three tracks in between that we can’t wait to be out in the world. The biggest variation of sounds on the album lies in the middle, with a short, synthy, ambient breath after Hinder, followed by another fully fledged, sharp and snappy rock song. After this, the pacing slows back down, and we get another few breaths in with the longest and most mellow track on the EP; featuring slow and undulating, synth-like guitar melodies, gentle acoustic guitar strums and a calming bassline. The EP then rounds out with the big and punchy Diving Heavy. The collection of songs acts as a stamp of our progress over the last few years, which we’re excited to both celebrate and move forward from.
H: As a band that represents Boorloo/Perth, how has that shaped creativity and making music for you, and who are some underrated acts coming up out of Western Australia at the moment?
G: I’m not really sure that our geographic location has had a huge impact on our creative decisions to be honest. However, I think we have grown to take a lot of pride in writing to our own tastes and experimenting with picking and choosing different conventions from various genres such as shoegaze, post-rock, black metal and alternative rock. I guess that being an artist in a relatively isolated scene, in an already isolated city, this has been highlighted as a motivator for future creative endeavors within this project. I think we’re all very curious and excited to see what direction Gloam steers towards in the future.
There is so much talent in Perth but if we had to choose, a handful of standouts for us at the moment would have to be 40th Parallel, Seaward, Concrete Bomb, Streets of Separation, Paint and Bloodwood.
H: Shoegaze as a genre lends its sound typically to noisy and experimental guitar sounds. If you were sent away on a desert island, only able to bring one guitar pedal essential to Gloam’s sound, what would it be?
G: While we’ve used a tonne of reverb on both our recordings and at our live shows, which is crucial to the band’s sound and noise generation, an effect that never leaves our boards (and is pretty much always switched on) is overdrive. We would be lost without a bit of light breakup before the rest of our sounds; Oli uses a JHS modded Soul Food, and Rowan, the classic Maxon 808 Tube Screamer.
H: Are there any plans to take your live show across to the East coast of Australia this year?
G: This is an ongoing conversation at the moment. We’d love nothing more than to share our music with people over East and abroad and while there’s nothing set in stone as we speak, it’s definitely a topic that is high on the agenda in the Gloam camp, and we remain hopeful that something will line up before the year is out.
