OSNOVA – Rise the Sun EP
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Origin: Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre: Indie pop, shoegaze, post-punk
With Rise the Sun EP, Los Angeles-based trio OSNOVA deliver a shimmering and emotionally-charged work that blurs the lines between shoegaze textures, 90s alternative grit, and melancholic indie pop. It’s a record that emerges not as a nostalgic gesture but as a forward-looking piece rooted in raw emotion, melodic craft, and atmospheric layering.
Initially formed as an instrumental duo, OSNOVA began with Sam Ribeyro (drums) and Jean-Claude Vorgeack (guitar), two musicians searching for the right voice to complete their sonic vision. After two years of writing and recording, they found that voice in Caroline McLaughlin—a vocalist and lyricist whose presence gives the project its final, luminous shape.
Sound & Aesthetic
The sound of Rise the Sun EP is lush yet immediate. Guitar textures shimmer and swirl, propelled by dynamic, propulsive drumming and grounded by McLaughlin’s haunting vocals. There’s a hypnotic quality to the interplay between instrumentation and voice—a fine balance between heaviness and dreaminess, with each track feeling like a wave cresting toward some distant light.
The band pulls in influences from post-punk’s rhythmic urgency, 90s alt-rock’s edge, and shoegaze’s enveloping atmosphere. The result is a sound both familiar and fresh: punchy yet ethereal, sharp yet soft around the edges.
Mood & Themes
Lyrically, Rise the Sun EP deals with vulnerability, resilience, and the quiet power of transformation. McLaughlin’s voice, wrapped in reverb and melancholic tone, delivers lines that feel confessional and universal at once. There’s a sense of healing throughout the record—a movement from shadow into light, from stillness into motion.
The EP doesn’t rush to resolve tension; instead, it allows listeners to dwell in the beauty of uncertainty. It's music made for transitional moments—for grey skies and golden hours alike.
Conclusion
With Rise the Sun EP, OSNOVA mark themselves as a standout voice in the evolving shoegaze and indie landscape. Their chemistry—honed through years of quiet persistence—shines through in a release that feels intimate, cinematic, and emotionally sincere. This is a debut that suggests even greater things to come.
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