Cryogeyser’s Self Titled LP Review
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Review Written By: Lili Betz
Cryogeyser’s New Full Length LP is Raw and Vulnerable, but Packs a Punch When Indie Rock Needs It Most
Artist: Cryogeyser
Release Date: February 14th, 2025
Genre(s): Indie-Rock/Shoegaze
Cryogeyser, the indie-rock/shoe-gaze three-piece hailing from Los Angeles, California, proves in their new self-titled LP that they are the ones to watch.
Released February 14th, 2025, Cryogeyser is swirling in distortion and airy tones. It’s vulnerable and honest, pulling us into the stories and thoughts of the trio through the writing and instrumentation. Everything released prior to Cryogeyser feels as if it’s been building up to this moment.
Vocalist Shawn Marom is no stranger to wearing her heart on her sleeve and her writing is raw and captivating. ‘Stargirl’, released as a single, feels like it’s ripped straight from a journal entry, and the emotions ride high even through the instrumentals. Halfway through the song, it takes a shift with darker chords accompanying Shawn’s screaming. It comes unexpectedly, but it’s what truly brings the song together and instantly makes it one of the most memorable parts of the album.
‘Blue Light’ is a poppier sound compared to the rest of the album yet remains cohesive and doesn’t pull you away from the listening experience. It just proves that Cryogeyser can achieve any sound they want to tackle with ease.
One of the most anticipated songs on the record is ‘Mountain’ featuring the iconic Karly Hartzman of Wednesday. They recently did a solo tour with each other and it’s obvious that both have inspired one another. I couldn’t help but think to myself that a handful of these songs could have easily been on Wednesday’s 2022 release Twin Plagues. The layered vocals of Hartzman and Marom on ‘Mountain’ accompany each other in a way where they do not blend in, but both their voices contribute something unique. Together, they create such a beautiful and ambient atmosphere.
Anxiety and insecurity ring clear throughout the album, often masked by the shoegaze-y sound Cryogeyser puts out. ‘timetetheredforever’ is a stripped-back acoustic tune that stands out in an album full of distortion and noise, but the reverb and atmospheric tone of the song fits within the realm of Cryogeyser.
Shawn hits us where it hurts with lines like “I survive my time it feels like a sickness/prove time and again that you are my weakness.” To give space for her writing to be at the forefront is so important and that’s why ‘timetetheredforever’ functions so well within the realm of Cryogeyser.
A handful of songs on this record come together in the second half. It puts into perspective that for Cryogeyser, every song feels like a journey and always has such a great ending. ‘Blew it’ follows that formula. It starts off feeling like one of the least captivating songs on the album but halfway through, it redeems itself, digging into a 90’s sound vocally and such a noisy outro with Shawn shouting “Maybe it’s best to walk away in silence.”
It’s a wall of guitar distortion that sounds like it was pulled straight from a Smashing Pumpkins song. It would have served well as the album closer compared to ‘Love Language’ which stands in stark contrast to the rest of the album and leaves one desiring a more epic ending to such a noisy record.
What Cryogeyser does so well on this record is having all these different guitar tones that we don’t hear much of in indie rock today. ‘One’ is just pure distortion and sound, the guitar tones resembling the sound of Dinosaur Jr. There is a crunch to their distortion that is so hard to achieve, yet they nail it perfectly. It feels like a fresh of breath air in terms of what many artists are trying to achieve in indie rock and shoe-gaze today. Cryogeyser is loud and vulnerable and they don’t hold back. They manage to achieve this beautiful atmosphere on the record that doesn’t pull you away. You want to stay for the ride and stick through the emotional highs and lows.
2025 will be the year for Cryogeyser.
FFO: Feeble Little Horse, Wednesday, Horse Jumper of Love
Photo Credits: Marlon Mara-Lenobe
