They Are Gutting a Body of Water - Lotto Review

They Are Gutting a Body of Water push shoegaze’s emotional limits on LOTTO, turning noise and vulnerability into something achingly human.

Shoegaze. The Oxford dictionary defines this genre as “a style of rock music characterized by a sound in which the distinctions between separate instruments and vocals are blurred”. Or in common terms: a wall of sound. The best and most influential pieces of music to come from this genre are able to pack this tidal wave of noise with raw emotion, enabling you to feel the music on a primal level. On LOTTO, that’s exactly what frontman Doug Dulgarian and They Are Gutting a Body of Water are able to capture.

They Are Gutting a Body of Water, or TAGABOW, are set to release LOTTO on October 17, their first album under ATO Records. Home to a plethora of established artists like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Black Pumas, this release aims to bring them out of the cult-like circles of avid shoegaze and noise rock listeners and into the somewhat mainstream eye.

The third single and opening song on the album ‘the chase’ instantly shows you what you’re in for on the next ten tracks of the album. Raw, in your face, honest, and vulnerable. This track originates from a place of darkness, where Doug recounts wrestling with fentanyl withdrawals. On the track, Doug narrates this experience, no rhymes, no melody, no hiding behind vocal effects. For such a monotone delivery, it cuts through the instrumental with an unbelievable amount of emotion. The instrumental switches between clean and screaming guitar effects that somehow convey the same feeling of realness. This is the same feeling that fans of the band have come to revere.

A song that immediately stands out as a highlight on the album comes immediately after, on ‘sour diesel’. The bass is gritty, the guitars are ethereal, and the drums are punchy. But it’s Doug’s vocals that bring this song together. Unlike past releases, his vocals are crisper and less muddied in the mix on many of LOTTO’s songs, including ‘sour diesel’. This choice gives the album make you feel more connected with Doug than in the past, another display of openness. The vocal layering towards the end of the track gives a rewarding release of tension that is built up through the song’s runtime.

The most unique aspect of the band is their privy to incorporate instrumental interludes throughout their albums, and even live performances. During shows, Doug constantly uses a sampler to create DJ-esque interludes between songs, and its harshness perfectly captures another aspect of the band’s essence. There are two instrumental interludes on LOTTO, ‘chrises head’, and ‘slo crostic’. The former consists of a minute-long trance, pulling you deeper into the album. The latter, however, starts out promising with a classic shoegaze riff. It then wanders aimlessly for over two minutes, never really going anywhere or knowing what it wants to do with itself.

Another bright spot on LOTTO comes as the third installment of the band’s beloved ‘violence’ series. ‘violence I’ appears on the fan favorite Destiny XL, a track whose lyrical content makes it seem almost like a midwest emo ballad. ‘violence ii’ was released on LUCKY STYLES (or s on streaming services). This installment trades the first’s classic ‘gaze distortion for a somewhat cleaner tone and vocal performance. ‘violence iii’ then takes the best parts of the first two and masterfully intertwines them to create another highlight. Switching between heavy guitars and shiny riffs, Doug’s vocals weave in and out of the instrumentals, contrasting brightness and darkness within the track’s runtime.

The band’s lead single ‘american food’ juxtaposes Doug’s unsettling narration with the high-pitched crooning of “tell me there’s a better world and I’ll go get my gun”. These vocals are accompanied by a buildup of softer guitars, vocal splices, and DJ scratches. Ending with ambient noises of ambulance sirens and subway tracks, this song perfectly captures the feeling of staring out of a car window, watching a clouded city pass. ‘american food’ was the perfect choice as the band’s first single. Although it doesn’t have the classic pedal-driven noise we’ve come to expect from the new-gen shoegaze powerhouse, it evokes a strong sense of longing, wanting to believe the skies will eventually clear for the sun.

The last song, ‘herpim’, closes the album with an exclamation point, similarly to how it started. The track starts with an analog style vocal sample, eventually giving in to a buildup of glittery guitar riffs. This comes to a head as the wall of sound merges with the lead riffs. Doug then speaks about a forced plane landing due to storms and running out of gas. When the “wheels hit the asphalt”, the track fades out with another electronic-based loop and finalizes with more ambient noises. ‘herpim’ is the perfect finale to the album, compiling all the feelings of the album and previewing where the band is headed with more popularity and mainstream appeal than ever.

LOTTO is the culmination of all the band’s past experiences. Their meteoric rise in Philadelphia and their love for the city. Their emergence as a powerhouse of new-gen shoegaze. Their live performances in grocery stores. Their past struggles with substance abuse and addiction. Their love for music and blending of genres. Their signing with ATO Records. Most importantly, their openness with all these experiences. They will be gutting a body of water at an even grander level, all while taking the good and the bad that come with more exposure on the chin.