New band alert: High.
One thing I have found missing with a lot of NewGen shoegaze acts is a potent hook, be it in the vocals or guitars. An artist like Wisp seems to prioritize them in her music, but I come across quite a few bands that really could use a good hook to separate them from the glut of bands that really just want to make noise with their pedals. It was the melody-first approach of Boonton, New Jersey’s High. that initially caught my ear when I first heard their song “Dead.” Describing their sound as “blackened gaze” or “noisegaze,” that song’s fluttering melody along with the effortless lyric of “Can you feel happiness when you’re dead” were immediate attention grabbers for me. “Dead” originally featured on the band’s debut EP, Bomber, which received a very limited cassette split release in 2023 by Suburban Creep and Julia’s War, a label founded by Douglas Dulgarian of They Are Gutting A Body Of Water that continues to impress with its roster additions.
With origins dating back to 2017, the line-up of High. - Bridget Bakie, Christian Castan, Jack Miller and Danny Zavalahas - really solidified in 2022, with a goal to make music that was “as blissed out as it was pissed off.” Bomber really captured that well, but it feels like they are moving on to newer emotions with their second EP, Come Back Down. Produced by their manager Matthew Molnar and mastered by Kurt Feldman (The Depreciation Guild, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart), the band have married their sombre, longing lyrics with melodies that evoke a feeling of warmth and commiseration.
To release Come Back Down, High. have teamed up with the Brooklyn-based Kanine Records, a label that knows a thing or two about contemporary shoegaze and dream pop, with a catalogue that includes Lucid Express, Punchlove, Blushing and Young Prisms. Thankfully they’ve packaged it with Bomber on the flip side, giving us a nice mini-album as a result.
What is the significance of the period after the band’s name?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and copyright issues.
“High” is a tough word to search on Google. What keywords do you recommend so that people can find your band?
NJ. New Jersey. As Fuck. “.” - the period. Also “High Painbox” should take you directly to the song.
You guys had Kurt Feldman master the EP. How familiar were you with his bands like the Depreciation Guild, Ice Choir and the Pains of Being Pure At Heart?
Pains are goated.
I know Philadelphia has a growing scene of shoegaze acts, but is there anything going on in New Jersey people should know about?
What made you decide to add the Bomber EP to Come Back Down?
We are proud of it and we wanted that shit on wax gangy.
How would you say Come Back Down differs from Bomber?
Jeff Zeigler. Period.
How did Bridget get the nickname “The Queen of The Quarter Note”?
DIY Icon. Phattest tone.
Can you give me a quick summary of how the band formed?
MSU (go Red Hawks), the Meatlocker, Johnnie’s Tavern, RT 46 Houlihan’s, and fate.
List of influences:
The Jersey Shore, Atlantic City, Elmos Deli, WFMU, Lana Del Rey, Sazón Latino, Glixen, Modelo, and Luigi Mangione.
Favourite shoegaze band:
Lana Del Rey.
Food of choice while recording:
Yerba, bacon egg and cheese, beer, Vyvanse extended release, Throat Coat, clementines, and CELSIUS.
TV show the band watches together:
YouTube<3.
The album most played when the band is hanging out together or on tour:
An activity the band does together outside of music:
Cook, movies, fuck, drink, karaoke, smoke, goon, and get drippy.
Other names you considered for your band:
Bayway.
Another band from your hometown or label that fans of yours should know about:
If you had to pick only one subgenre listed on your Bandcamp page to describe your music it would be:
War metal.
Favourite venue to play and why:
Che Cafe in San Diego. They let us sleep there.
St. Vitus in NYC - R.I.P. Ride or die gang.
The Crypt in New Brunswick. Lit as fuck.
Favourite record shop in the world:
Factory Records in Dover, NJ.