Last year, Blackwater Holylight released an EP called If You Only Knew. It blew me away. They are back once again, this time with something a little different, but still terrific. The album is called Not Here Not Gone, and it released on January 30th through Suicide Squeeze Records.
Blackwater Holylight comes to us from Portland, Oregon. The lineup on this album features Sunny Faris on vocals, guitar, and bass; Mikayla Mayhew on bass and guitar; Eliese Dorsay on drums; and Sarah McKenna on synths. I’m not sure if Sarah is still in the band since she’s not in any of the band images. You’ll also hear Camille Getz on violin and David Sitek on beats.
The band plays a blend of various misty genres, from psych doom to hard rock to shoegaze. They mix it immaculately to the point where none of those labels truly sticks or defines them. No, there’s heartache and confidence at the core of what they do; everything else is just how they express it. So, you’ll hear crunchy riffs, soaring synth and shoegaze guitars, delicate vocals, and maybe a hint of grunge.
I’ll confess right out the gate that I slightly prefer 2025’s If You Only Knew to this new album. The EP was short, only four songs, but there was such an atmospheric, dreamy energy, plus layers and layers of rhythms and tones. This album is perhaps a little more straightforward, leaning into heavier, heftier sounds. It doesn’t have the nuance of the EP, but it makes up for that with passion and power.
The album is also remarkably consistent. While my favorite tracks are the opener and the closer, there are fantastic songs scattered throughout the runtime. In the first half, we get favorites like “How Will You Feel”, a hazy and haunting piece that opens slowly over its six-minute runtime. I love how the guitars get stronger, yet Eliese’s drums are the beating heart of the track. The next three songs are singles, from the roaring foggy light of “Involuntary Haze” to the hard rocking “Bodies” with its nuanced synth to my favorite single, “Heavy, Why?” with its burning guitars and subtle yet strong hook. The first half closes with the spunky interlude “Giraffe”, which feels psychedelic and electronic.
I do think the second half is my favorite by a hair. We get “Spades”, probably the heaviest track overall with its searing guitars, leering shoegaze, and unrelenting sound. “Void To Be” has really been growing on me, as it’s full of ghostly, spacious nuance. “Fade” comes in next and is heavy and straight again; I love the shoegaze solo on that one in particular.
The last couple tracks are great. “Mourning After” has something of a spectral, slow-burning vibe. I like how it subtly grows until the guitars get more concise and melodic in phrasing. The closer “Poppyfields” is a seven-minute journey. It begins with echoing atmosphere, but soon the drums kick into hyperdrive. The song transitions between heavy, sweaty portions and gracious, beautiful sections, especially the gorgeous violin that comes in at the end. I love how psychedelic it feels overall.
Blackwater Holylight are doing their own thing, and it gives equal amounts of darkness and light. I love the fizzy, foggy air about the record, and I love the heft of the guitars with the lumbering drums, sliced clean through with synth and shoegaze. It is a very satisfying album on the musical palette.
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