Photo by Liam Wallis

Work on yourself, you’ve probably heard them say. Well, try it out yourself firsthand, and learn it’s not always that easy, although it would be beautiful if all our problems were that simple to make go away. “Gorgeous”, the latest preview off Cold Gawd’s sophomore album, I’ll Drown On This Earth, definitely wants to see it that way, but the Rancho Cucamonga shoegaze band’s mastermind Matthew Wainwright knows from his own lived experience that a change in scenery and taking stock of the self doesn’t always make the view any better. That’s where that veil of mist heard blurring his vision throughout the listen comes through, with the past ringing close by. “Couldn’t find / Peace of mind / I’ll deny / But rebirth / Was all a lie.” What once was just a few drops now becomes a waterfall, and he’s drowning beneath its surface. Tranquility turns into screams. He wants be pulled out from drowning in his own self.

Cold Gawd’s I’ll Drown On This Earth will be released August 30th on Dais Records.