Flatwaves summon elemental fury on colossal 'Tell Me Secrets'
Philly fourpiece Flatwaves unleash their sophomore LP, Tell Me Secrets, a colossus of alt-shoegaze immensity that rolls and pitches with the elemental fury of primordial gods bending the forces of nature into beautifully rendered and endlessly expansive soundscapes.
At their core Flatwaves are a shoegaze band, but the prevailing characteristics of the style serve primarily as a template for the band’s sound rather than constraints within they are forced to operate. Tell Me Secrets is replete with fantastically massive compositions executed at maximum earsplitting volume, densely layered and spiked with an aggressive streak that presses unrelentingly forward with the unstoppable momentum of an alpine avalanche hurtling down picturesque mountainsides.
Opening the album with slowly surging tidal force, “Paloma” builds steadily amongst a swirling vortex of droning guitar and pummeling rhythms, clearing a path for the cavalcade of impassioned bruisers arrayed across Tell Me Secret’s tracklist.
“High Tide” kicks the album into high gear with a percussive motorik cadence and churning razorblade riffs that crack like musclecar whiplash as Flatwaves launch forward into kaleidoscopic infinity with wild-eyed abandon.
Continuing to press beyond the boundaries of shoegaze conventions, Flatwaves bare their teeth without hesitation on the snarling “Route 38” and “Little Boy,” bristling with savage aggression and dogged primal fury, introducing a perilous streak to the mix that electrifies and excites like a double shot of uncut adrenaline.
Flatwaves ease off the accelerator at key moments, blending jagged posturing with scruffy affability on “Sun House,” with an undercurrent of jangly psychedelia that breaks through billowing thunderheads with the crystalline clarity of perfectly defined sunbeams. Album closer “Coco” rolls with the hopeful sensation of gazing out onto an endless expanse, epic in scope and powerfully intimate in its sentiments.
It’s this fearlessness that sets Flatwaves apart from their fellow shoegazers, a willingness to experiment and and flex across styles by tapping into the fervent lifestream that courses through the veins of all creation, buoyed by the collective freedom of unmitigated expression.
In a live setting, Flatwaves are a revelation. At Dum Dum Fest 2025 the band transformed tracks from their repertoire into a fully tangible blitzkrieg force that exploded with feral, full-throttle garage psychedelia. Seismic waves of sound instigated involuntary cosmic shivers forcibly aligning radical frequencies in harmony with the music of the spheres. An irrefutable showcase for a band channeling titanic energies into some of the most compelling sounds breaking through from the underground.
Tell Me Secrets is available now via Bandcamp. Stream the album on Spotify and follow Flatwaves on Instagram.
Upcoming Shows
AUG 1 - Polish American Citizens Club - Phoenixville, PA
AUG 2 - Zoetropolis - Lancaster, PA - TICKETS
AUG 30 - Khyber Pass Pub - Philadelphia, PA