2011 - A year in review.

# 11. WATERS - Out in the Light
(City Slang, September 9th 2011)


WATERS rose from the ashes of the band Port O'Brien when they called it quits a couple of years ago. Frontman Van Pierzalowski wanted a bigger and perhaps a rockier sound than the sound he made with Port O'Brien. Pierzalowski started a journey and ended up in Oslo, Norway where the idea for WATERS first came to be. He asked around and got a couple of norwegian bandmates. Over the next year, they rehearsed Pierzalowski's songs before heading to Texas to record them. The songs were written over the course of the year which Pierzalowski spent travelling. He spent some time in Alaska, some in a coastal town right  of Highway 1 in California were he grew up and some time in Brooklyn, New York before he headed back to Oslo.

WATERS have a punchy indierock sound, kind of like a Band of Horses without any of the country-elements. A lot of fuzz guitars over great fist in the air low key indie anthems. Echoes of Pixies as well as Neil Young. Van Pierzalowski is just a fresh breath into a indie world who has seemingly forgotten where the fuzzpedals are. But WATERS isn't your typical rock band, the songs are filled with hooks and catchy choruses.

They are also a truly magnificant liveband. I saw them in late December at they're final gig of a long tour at Revolver here in Oslo. Without a doubt one of 2011's best gigs. They closed the gig with an acoustic version of the fantastic album closer "Mickey Mantle" amongst the crowd without any mics or amps.  A moment for the history books.

WATERS - O Holy Break of Day

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