Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu 

On October 13, the collaborative EP between Bandcamp giants Parannoul and Asian Glow was finally released onto streaming services. Originally released in September as a Bandcamp exclusive, “Paraglow” has these two Seoul-based DIY recording projects coming together to craft four tracks. While that may sound like a shorter project, the EP’s 30-minute runtime says otherwise. This EP is not the only collaborative project Asian Glow has released this year, having made “Weatherglow” with Swedish musician Weatherday in March.

As expected from both musicians, “Paraglow” has the duo crafting these diverse and vivid walls of sound. Throughout the project, sounds of emo, shoegaze, post-rock, noise pop, and hard rock set behind Parannoul’s drowned-out, melancholic vocal delivery. 

One of the most noticeable differences between “Paraglow” and the rest of these musicians’ discographies is the Lo-Fi recording style. This recording choice gives the EP a more grunge-esque atmosphere. While some may find this decision to be a deterrent from listening to “Paraglow,” I found this to be a welcome addition to the project’s overall delivery. 

The EP opens with “Hand.” Starting with some light acoustic strumming, the track explodes into shoegaze. Its phased-out guitars and over-powering drums drop the audience into the fold. “The Light Side of the Eyes,” takes a slower approach when compared to the previous track. Taking moments to build with portions of xylophone, Parannoul’s vocals quickly go from calm to feral with them screaming Korean passages. “Swamp” has a much more synth-heavy production style, relying on the instrument as the wave for the rest of the song to glide through.

“Paraglow”’s magnum opus is “Wheel.” Being half of the project’s runtime, the song goes through a metamorphosis. Starting with a barrage of layered guitars, the track has various left turns. From the acoustics and horn at the 3-minute mark to the screaming at the 9-minute mark, the track abruptly comes to a close at 12 minutes. Suddenly, the song roars back to life, closing with the massive sound of Parannoul’s elongated scream. 

In less than 30 minutes, Parannoul and Asian Glow show dominance in the modern shoegaze scene with “Paraglow.”