Skymender – Skymender
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Origin: Washington, D.C., USA
Genre: Dream pop, noise pop, shoegaze
With their self-titled 4-track release, Skymender emerges from Washington, D.C. with a sound that’s both powerful and celestial—a compelling blend of dream pop elegance, shoegaze density, and noise pop edge. This marks the band’s second LP, following their acclaimed debut if and only, and affirms their ability to craft immersive sonic landscapes with emotional precision.
Band Members
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James Banta – Guitar
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S. Dwayne Bruner – Drums
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Zahin Huq – Bass
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Kenny Grose – Guitar, vocals
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Ashley Scurto – Vocals
The band’s chemistry is instantly palpable. Each member brings texture and intensity to the mix, creating a collective sound that’s immersive, explosive, and beautifully disoriented. The dual vocals of Grose and Scurto add a haunting, human layer to the record’s glistening wall of sound.
Sound & Aesthetic
Skymender is drenched in feedback and reverb, but never loses its melodic focus. Guitars ripple and roar in equal measure, drums drive with steady urgency, and the vocals float ghostlike through the sonic haze. There’s an intentional balance here—between chaos and clarity, between dissonance and harmony.
Drawing from the lineage of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Medicine while injecting their own energy, Skymender shapes noise into something intimate and radiant. Every track feels like a wave: crashing, rising, then drifting away in silence.
Themes & Mood
The EP explores themes of dissociation, inner longing, and emotional overwhelm—wrapped in a sound that’s equally comforting and volatile. The mood is immersive and hypnotic, like being submerged in memory or soundtracked daydreams. It’s music for wandering minds and wide-open hearts, honest in its abstraction and precise in its emotional pull.
Critical Response
Skymender has been met with early praise for its rich atmosphere, tight musicianship, and emotional weight. Critics have highlighted the band’s ability to create depth and power within a minimal runtime—each track feeling like a complete world. As a follow-up to if and only, this release confirms Skymender as a band capable of wielding both beauty and noise with striking confidence.
© Thusblog
