The past eight years have been a bit of a journey for Blackwater Holylight, who initially formed as a heavy-psych/stoner-rock quintet in Portland. After progressing their sound over the course of three albums, vocalist and guitarist/bassist Sunny Faris, guitarist Mikayla Mayhew, and drummer Eliese Dorsay set off for LA to reconfigure things further as a trio leaning into the doomgaze influence bubbling up on 2021’s Silence / Motion LP for their latest release, Not Here Not Gone. The riffs are still slow and heavy, they’re just a little less Dopesmoker and a little more Jesu.
This is pretty well represented in the influences playlist the band put together for us, which features the slow-burn doom-metal riffs of Hell along with ’gazey metal peers Deafheaven. Yet also featured on the list are songwriting icons within the realm of folk-rock and soul, as well as figureheads of the band’s previous career in occult rock. To hear Faris, Mayhew, and Dorsay discuss how these songs inspire them, though, it seems to be more about the associations they have with the music—personal memories, snapshots from tour, or even just the first time hearing a particularly crunchy riff.
Overall, the playlist manages to match Blackwater Holylight’s balance of overwhelming guitars and gentler rocking passages, with a few songs even embracing this dynamic balance themselves. As Dorsay puts in while inadvertently summing up Not Here Not Gone: “Simple, heavy, evil, and just straight-up powerful.”
Check out all of their picks below, and pre-order Not Here Not Gone here ahead of the record’s release this Friday via Suicide Squeeze.
SUNNY
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “Sleep”
This was the first song that ever gave me a full-body reaction to listening to music. It’s been a highly important song for me in my adult years and will forever be one of the most transformative songs in my life.
Brenton Wood, “Oogum Boogum Song”
This has always been one of my favorite feel-good songs to sing along to. The melody and sentiment of this song make me feel like I’m listening to it for the first time every time I hear it. This track is a happy place for me!
Hell, “Wandering Soul”
Some of my favorite heavy riffs that I could listen to for hours on end in this song. It was one of the first songs that sparked my curiosity of heavy music and I will always be grateful for this whole album, the humans that made it, and the time it all landed in my life.
ELIESE
Trouble, “The Tempter”
The first time I heard this song was in a cemetery in the middle of the night. Psalm 9 has been one of my favorite doom albums ever since. Simple, heavy, evil, and just straight-up powerful.
Near Dark, “Old Rodeo”
Living with another musician is always special. This song inspires me because of the time, care, and effort that went into it. It’s beautiful, catchy, and uplifting. And basically stuck in my head for life.
Electric Citizen, “Light Years Beyond”
One of my favorite songs ever. My first tour ever was in Europe when we were direct support for Electric Citizen. It marks the beginning of my adventure as a touring musician. Every time I listen to it I think about all the amazing experiences I’ve had since joining BWHL.
MIKAYLA
Deafheaven, “Sunbather”
This song—this whole album, really—has been a huge inspiration for me since the moment I heard it. I love the dynamic shifts between heavy and soft. It will make you cry with a dreamy clean guitar riff one moment, then absolutely crush you with blast beats the next.
Deftones, “My Own Summer (Shove It)”
Around the Fur is really just a perfect album. I remember the first time I heard that riff, I was in the car as a teenager and I’d never heard anything like it. It made me so excited. Just absolutely massive, and the perfect balance between beautiful and aggressive. We definitely blasted this one many times in the studio when we needed a break from our own tracks.
Neil Young, “Harvest Moon”
Neil Young will always be one of my favorites. This song is so nostalgic to me and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. One of the greatest songwriters to ever do it.
