With their recent debut EP, ‘Symphony Pains,’ Swindon quintet Rain produce a short yet effective set of 90s alt rock that firmly dwells in a shoegaze blur. Opening track ‘Slur’ breathes off gorgeous guitar lines and swelling melodies whilst ‘Indigo In Blue’ neatly plays off a quiet/loud dynamic with whirling guitars dominating. Closing track ‘Dandelion’ highlights Rain’s ability to provide a pleasing moment of tranquility. Ultimately ‘Symphony Pains’ lays down a firm foundation, one that is drenched in subtle versatility and nostalgia.
It’s nostalgia that spurred us on to grab a word with guitarist Rhys James, who talked us through seven songs that influenced Rain during the making of ‘Symphony Pains.’
Ride – Grasshopper
Ride are one of our favourite bands and have been a dominant influence for us since we started. Although this song in particular isn’t especially similar to the direction we’ve taken, the energy it presents is something we strived for in our writing process for ‘Slur’ and some of our newer material.
Newmoon – Mask
I became hooked on this the first time I heard it and the EP became one of my favourite shoegaze releases from recent years. A powerful wall of sound is an effective element in this track, and one that we wanted to reflect in the dynamics of our music when making the EP.
Mass Gothic – Nice Night
We came across this track recently and it’s already influenced our perspective on writing and structure. The build up is so captivating and has shown us how much anticipation and atmosphere can be created effectively within a song when done right.
Eagulls – Possessed
One of our long term influences, we’re all into some form of punk and Eagulls have been a mutual favourite for all of us for some time. This song is a perfect example of their catchy hooks I find stuck in my head regularly that will remind me to pick up a guitar and work on an idea.
King Woman – Burn
The vocals are really enchanting throughout this track and it creates a really haunting vibe, something we wanted elements of in our own material. It’s the perfect level of tension between chaos and calm that inspired our creative process, particularly in the track ‘Dandelion.’
Communions – Forget it’s a Dream
While we were recording the EP we discovered this band, definitely one of our favourite releases of the last year. The production on this is incredible and it’s so easy to get lost within. The track speaks for itself and to say we’re highly anticipating their next release would be an understatement.
Slowdive – When The Sun Hits
Slowdive are one of the classic bands that inspired us to start writing, and whilst we were in the studio we watched the documentary about the history of the band and its evolution. After that we had a clear goal in mind of what we wanted to achieve at our time there, so its safe to say this band was one of our biggest influences. This song has some of the best elements of shoegaze incorporated into it, indefinitely my favourite track from one of my favourite albums.
‘Symphony Pains’ by Rain is available now through Close To Home Records.