Losing more than half the band after the release of their first album, 2015's
Last Forever, the Swedish noise pop band
Westkust reconfigured and returned with an album that slashed away the dreamier aspects of their sound in favor of a more intense and aggressive approach. On 2019's self-titled album, Julia Bjernelind takes full control over the vocal chores and she and new member Brian Cukrowski handle the guitar duties. They eschew the subtleties of dream pop that the last album exhibited and set their guitars on stun throughout, churning and flashing behind Bjernelind's much more present vocals. Coupled with a punchier bass/drums attack, the record hits like a bomb cyclone right away and rarely lets up. Tracks like "Swebeach" and "Junior" dash by in a whirl of overdriven guitars and crashing cymbals, "Drive" and "Cotton Skies" bathe their hooks in chiming, echoing fuzz and when they dial the energy down a touch, like on "Adore" or "Daylight," they keep the wall of blown-out sound intact. Despite the more intense musical backing, the songs are still achingly melancholic and melodic, which makes for a satisfying juxtaposition. Bjernelind proves more than up for the expanded vocal role and she's able to cut through the maelstrom of sound to transmit real emotions. Lots of times when a band trades out members, it means disaster, but for
Westkust it means improvement. Their first album was fine dream pop, but this is thrilling shoegaze on par with the best work of the original wave of '90s band who pioneered the style.