When Löwin released standalone song “Sloop” in 2017, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Sara Houser told the Chronicle she expected its “pop aesthetic” to lead the new album’s direction. The Austin quartet’s full-length debut, Heavy as the Sun, indeed leans heavily into sophisticated dream-pop, eschewing rowdy rock & roll from 2015 EP Royal Jelly. Opener “Sake” begins with a Cardigans-esque guitar line that eventually gets buried, a fitting introduction to the new direction. “Burn for You” implodes into a skuzzed-out wall of sound, grunge colliding with keys beneath Michael Sanders’ nervy guitar lines, while “Hard to Love,” with the crunch of electrified guitar, skirts the closest to Royal Jelly – until cartoon-y synth organs blare through the midst of the intro. Heavy as the Sun marinates in a textured, synth-heavy sound, broken up by piercing guitar and Houser’s looming powerhouse vocals, all atmospheric and airy, saturated with a winning moodiness.
This article appears in March 22 • 2019.