UK shoegaze purveyor Fauxroot doesn’t strictly adhere to the confines of his chosen genre — broadening the scope of his musical reach to include dream pop and emo influences. He also releases music that explores a wider electronic spectrum under the name of Toxxin. A student of both softer sonic mechanisms and wiry rock narratives, Mackenzie Hill uses Fauxroot as the avenue through which he melds these disparate sounds. He released a demo track called “haze” in the first half of 2024, but considers his latest single, “Dream”, the first official Fauxroot single.
Strands of gentle guitar open “Dreams”, with soft keys making the occasional appearance before the drums kick in and everything coalesces into a persistent stream of sound. It has a slocore bent that feels nostalgic and particularly affecting. There’s no hurry, no push to reach some distant destination — only the muted sway of his gathered rhythmic impulses. And then the bottom drops out as sheets of guitar crash into view, recalling the theatrical rock bombast of Japandroids or Fang Island. The track revels in the simple joys of colossal riffs and wavy distortion before drifting back into a quasi-ambient denouement, allowing us to take a breath and gather our senses while we still can.
Listen below.
“Dream” is out now via Monkey Noise. Follow Fauxroot on Instagram.
