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Having listened to this record 7 or 8 times in a row now, I am still totally at a loss regarding how best to describe it... Yes, this is a Post-Hardcore record, in that the songs can and do travel from hopelessness & despair to unbalanced madness and back again seamlessly. Yes, this is an Indie-Rock record, in that there are hints of Pop here and there and an undeniable playfulness that reminds me of a band like Frightened Rabbit. Yes, this is a Post-Rock record, in that the songs don't generally follow a standard structure, opting instead to ebb & flow through highs and lows like waves crashing against a "Fake Beach". Yes, this record is brimming with melancholy. I don't know if it's the piano that features so prominently throughout that gives these songs such a mournful feel, like a funeral march or a war memorial. But, listening to this so much over the last few days has really made me grateful for the random flashes of sunshine we get here in Seattle.
Winter Dust are from Italy. They have been playing music together since 2008. The band themselves have described their own sound as "Postrock-Emo-Core" which makes a lot of sense to me when you consider the bands they recommend as comparison. Thrice, Moving Mountains, Envy, Caspian, Explosions In The Sky. All great reference points when trying to describe this wonderful collective of brilliant musicians. I would even throw in some other names like Desert City Soundtrack, Joie De Vivre, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Benton Falls, Iselia... Maybe even Elliot...? Sometimes, comparisons are useless. Especially when a record can stand so well on its own without the need for namedropping.
In the end, the thing that matters most is how truly in love I have become with this record. I really wish I would have heard it at the tail end of 2013 when it came out. It most certainly would have been on my top favorites of the year list. No matter... this is one of the best records I have ever heard in my life and I will most certainly continue to enjoy it well into old age. That means everything.
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