Photo by Erasmo Viera

Regardless of where you stand on the modern shoegaze discourse, trauma tay made an impressive dent in that scene well before the oversaturation of its new wave form firmly settled in with their 2024 breakthrough debut, Chameleon. It was a standout example of how if you’re going to do the whole heavy distortion thing while ripping on Duster, you may as well do it really well. In their case, they did so much that it took them around the world with it.

“Hannibal”, the lead single from the Forth Worth quintet’s forthcoming EP, Carnival, cannibalizes the aftershock effect of everything that’s happened in the time since with their own rise and perhaps even that of the larger microscope being place onto the entire scene itself. You can hear their reaction force its way through in the way riffs are amplified with an almost metallic aggression not dissimilar to the teenage angst that birthed early grunge. “Tell me why / Did you ever care when I / Did my best to catch your eye?,” vocalist Uriel Avila reflects through the focused rage ‘gaze. “Was it all a waste of time? / Will you ever tell me why / You dissect?” For those skeptical of who the real ones are, hopefully this answers your questions resoundingly.

Spring Tour Dates:

trauma ray’s Carnival will be released February 20th on Dais Records.