Aiming – The Legend (Digital/CD/Vinyl/Cassette EP – Blackjack Illuminist Records)
I’d never heard of this British band, which-after releasing a few singles-has now put out its first EP.
The four songs fit perfectly within the label’s aesthetic, which consistently blends Dark/Cold Wave, Shoegaze, and Dream-Pop. Aiming brings together nearly all of these influences, along with a few others. The guitar work creates a unique atmosphere that instantly draws you in, especially on the opening track-the only one featuring a female vocalist. It sounds mysterious, somewhat dark, but above all, sultry.
The remaining songs maintain this exceptionally pleasant atmosphere but are performed by a male vocalist. Aiming isn’t exactly a band that blows me away, yet there’s clear potential in their work. This bodes well for the future. (Rating:7½).
Listen to “Brainiac”:
About Aiming
Aiming is a band from Yorkshire, England, working in scuzzy, synth-driven shoewave that blends Dark/Cold Wave, Shoegaze, and Dream-Pop guitar textures with electronic production.
The band released a handful of singles before signing to Blackjack Illuminist Records, a Berlin-based label specializing in Post-Punk, Darkwave, Synthpop, and Shoegaze. Aiming’s debut EP, “The Legend”, followed on February 7, 2025, in digital, CD, vinyl, and cassette formats, reviewed here as the project’s first full release.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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