Rain Cloud Nine – Ephemeral (self- released)
Describing their sound as ‘dream punk doom pop’ London duo Rain Cloud Nine released their second single Ephemeral recently and it’s bursting with hazy layers of melody
Artist: Rain Cloud Nine
Track: Ephemeral
Label: Self release
Released: 31 August 2024
Find it: Bandcamp | Spotify
‘Forever and ever / Forever ephemeral’ is the duality London dream-punk-doom-pop duo Rain Cloud Nine give us on their second single Ephemeral. Set amongst hazy layers of warm, fuzzy melody we get this lyrical refrain setting eternal against fleeting.
The lyrics also give us imagery of expansion and contraction, of nature and that which is man-made. It’s the sort of cosmic consideration which perfectly fits the sound, edging at times toward Psychedelic spin-out before sinking into cell-shivering Shoegaze.
There’s some big riffs from thick guitars and melodic bass passing through you in waves, and there’s some gorgeous gauzy harmonies – for a moment there’s the merest hint of Leisure-era Blur but more often this is going to (in the best way) put you in mind of Slowdive or even The Cure. And while this single is lush, there is also a lo-fi nature to it: echoes and distance in the vocal and a full drop-out which at first seems like the track has run out of breath rather than is holding one before it bursts back in.
Ephemeral follows on from debut single Blush, which also turns up the richness as the song goes on. On both tracks the fuzzy guitar tone and shimmering percussion start to build a consistent sound for this band. Ephemeral leans in further, giving us an immersive listen and plenty of melody and more insistent rhythm and guitar to float on.
Early days for this band but there’s definite promise here if you like your indie tilted toward shoegaze, and your pop most definitely dreamy.
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Ephemeral by Rain Cloud Nine is out digitally now. Debut single Blush is also available digitally.
Find Rain Cloud Nine: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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