Ladder To God Gazes On
Up until a few days ago, I was completely unaware of Birmingham shoegazers Ladder to God. Thankfully, Dan Drinkard (Seasick Records) recently featured the band’s singer and guitarist Cam Smith in an Instagram Reel promoting their new cassingle. Cam shared some solid album recommendations during the segment (including Sonic Youth’s Evol), so I decided to see what his band is all about.
Ladder to God (photo courtesy of the band)
Their new single features two ambitious, long-runners: “Everything Good in the World” and “Nothing New.” It’s quintessential late-Fall gloom. Hints of bands like Felt, Wire, Winter, and Swirlies appear along the way, but the band definitely has their own thing going.
This is particularly true for “Everything Good in the World.” It’s rich with spaced-out vocals, decaying and phasing guitars, and a bass line (and tone) that, near the end, feels adjacent to Wire’s 154 era. The runtime is pretty wild — eight minutes — but it works because the track draws you in and holds you. It’s hypnotic yet not repetitive.
