Episode 213: Gentle Heat

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David Algrim of Chicago noise-pop outfit Gentle Heat is our guest for Episode 213 of Look At My Records! The project just released their second full-length, Sheer, a towering record that sits sweetly between the distorted haze of shoegaze and the saccharine melodies of noise-leaning indie pop. With new member Sarah Clausen on keys, the group’s songwriting features poppier elements to counteract their guitar fuzz, including gorgeous vocal harmonies that remain constant across the album’s nine tracks. Algrim and Tom chatted all about the album’s pop influences and more, including how Gentle Heat has persisted through several lineup changes since forming in the late 2010s, Algrim’s background playing in a Milwaukee-based hardcore band, the dynamics of Gentle Heat’s live shows. Plus, David picked some awesome records from Tom’s collection, including choice cuts from Poppies, My Bloody Valentine, and En Attendant Ana  You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 213.

Sheer is out now via Flesh & Bone Records. You can purchase it on Bandcamp or on vinyl via the Flesh & Bone website. It’s also available on Spotify.

Gentle Heat will be celebrating the release of Sheer tonight at The Hideout in Chicago with Smut and Discus. Then they’ll be hitting the road for the rest of May. Don’t miss them here in New York at The Broadway on May 28th. For a full list of dates, check out the band’s Instagram.