Leaving’s ‘Liminal’ creates dark, compelling shoegaze soundscapes

The melding of heavy, downtuned guitar riffs and ethereal textures has proven to be a winning combination – as influential albums like Deftones’ pivotal White Pony, Hum’s spacey alt-rock classic You’d Prefer an Astronaut, and more recently, Loathe’s adventurous I Let It In and It Took Everything attest.  For Leaving, a shoegaze/doom metal group from Oakland, the heavy and ethereal flow seamlessly. Members of the band’s lineup – consisting of drummer Chiyo Nukaga Jacobus, vocalist/guitarist Jackson Heath, bassist Kunjan Joshi, and guitarist/vocalist Gregory Colson – are also involved in other musical projects including Noothgrush, Amber Asylum, Graves at Sea, Lycus, and Funerary.

Leaving’s new album, Liminal, released on March 24 on Protagonist Music and local Oakland record label Transylvanian Recordings, is a fine example of dark, heavy shoegaze. The album artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski leaves a strong first impression, portraying the desolate nature of the record. The atmospheric opening track, “Slow Motion Collapse”, sets the tone right away. Throughout the 32-minute album, dark ambient textures, ethereal vocals, and slow, downtuned guitar riffs weave in and out to create a somber, yet mesmerizing sound. If that description intrigues you, check out Liminal on Bandcamp and all streaming services.