Letting Up Despite Great Faults is an indie pop and shoegaze band from Austin, Texas. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2009, is an impressive showcase of the band’s ability to blend dreamy soundscapes with electronic beats. Today I’m taking a look back at the album and unboxing the recent reissue on vinyl and the first ever vinyl pressing at that!
Letting Up Despite Great Faults Album Review
The album opens with “In Steps,” a slow-burning track that features lush synths and a steady beat. From there, the LP takes the listener on a journey through a range of emotions, from the dreamy and melancholic “Our Younger Noise” to the mellow, hazy “Sun Drips.”
I mentioned “Our Younger Noise.” It’s my pick for the album’s top track, and tends to be a fan favorite at that, with a driving beat, shimmering guitars, and vocals that hint of young love. Another highlight of the album is opener “In Steps,” which blends shoegaze-y guitar textures with electronic beats and synths. Letting Up Despite Great Faults is equally capable of shoegaze reveries and dancefloor pep talks.
Check out the music video for “Our Younger Noise” below:
Letting Up Despite Great Faults is most likened to The Radio Dept. and their 2003 LP Lesser Matters, but without quite as many powerful hooks and imbued with dreamier haziness in both vocals and instrumentation.
Starting all the way back on this self-titled LP, the band began carving out a niche for themselves in the indie music scene and continues to release music that pushes the boundaries of the dream pop, synth pop, and shoegaze sub-genres.
To conclude the album review part of this video, I’ll quote the snippet on Rough Trade’s product page for the LP, as it perfectly sums up the album:
Across nine tracks, the band established their dream-infused indie-pop sound with one foot in classic sounds of the 90s, and the other adventuring deeper into the digital worlds opened by modern electronics. Those feeling pangs of nostalgia for late 00s shoegaze revival should not miss out!
Rough Trade’s Product Page for Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Since the release of the album, the band has continued to release music, including the critically acclaimed full-length albums, Untogether in 2012 and Neon in 2016. Last year, which was 2022, the band self-released the LP IV.
Also, last year marked the first ever release of the album on vinyl. It came via P-Vine record in Japan.
Letting Up Despite Great Faults Vinyl Unboxing
Let’s take a look at my copy, which just arrived over the weekend courtesy a seller on eBay, and I snagged it for a cool $30 after tax and shipping. Shocking given that I’ve seen no other copies in the US and everything overseas is a bit more expensive, even before shipping!
I love the OBI strip. The cover looks great and matches other variants of the release. The back has the track listing and then you have the back of the OBI strip with some credits and a barcode.
Inside you’ll find an insert with the cover on one side and lyrics on the other, and the vinyl itself comes pressed to standard black wax. Check it out in greater detail in my album review and unboxing video below:
