Snarls is Soaring Higher Than Ever on “In Heaven There’s Rainbows”
Photo via Snarls.
Since emerging from the Columbus DIY scene in 2018, alternative rock rising stars Snarls have been steadily carving out a space for themselves, one built off unguarded songwriting and melodic indie flair with gazey-grunge elements. Their latest EP, In Heaven There’s Rainbows, brings that vision into full focus, finding the quartet at their most cohesive and self-assured, with a sound that feels not only fully realized but also fully their own. Building on the momentum of their debut Burst and a growing reputation for dynamic live sets, In Heaven There’s Rainbows marks a clear point of personal and artistic expansion for Snarls.
Out June 26 via Take This To Heart Records, the EP embraces Snarls’ established thematic core while opening it up in a new light. It balances the tension and ache of growing up with its celebratory beauty, exploring complicated relationships and self-reflection through heavier emotional and sonic terrain. Ultimately, it plays out like a story of moving through who you once were to make sense of who you’re meant to be. That sincerity is matched by the sound itself, with the grungy, distorted guitars and booming drums colliding with vocalist Chlo White’s ethereal, gritty vocals, recalling the likes of Snail Mail or Wet Leg, but landing in a space that feels entirely their own.
“Chemical Control (Spill Your Blood)” serves as a slow-burning introduction to the record, immediately establishing its atmosphere and weight. Fuzzy, droning guitars stretch outward beneath a steady, pulsing bassline, while layered vocals rise through the mix with a transparency that refuses to get lost in the noise. There is something almost spectral in White’s delivery, balancing distance and power while remaining grounded and hauntingly compelling. Snarls push that energy forward with fervent passion on faster and more immediate “No Lock, No Prayer.” Driven by a bounce that gives the track a sense of urgency, White’s vocals remain anchored as she sings about mixed signals and the emotional intensity of wanting to turn a casual relationship into something more.
Snarl’s strength crystallizes on the EP’s most unifying moment, “One Wish.” Leaning furthest into shoegaze landscapes, the track swells with a dreamy, weightless quality, its shimmering layers offset by heavy, shredding guitars and ferocious drums that don’t dare overpower the song’s core. Instead, everything moves in sync, carving space for Snarls to excel at their most nostalgic, channeling the feel-good closeness of early-2000s feminist pop reimagined through heavy, grunge-soaked guitars. By centering its chorus around the titular phrase ‘In heaven there’s rainbows,’ the middle track reinforces its role as the project’s emotional and thematic anchor.
Nearing the end, “Eternal Flame” unfolds at a slower, more solemn pace before exploding into the record’s heaviest, most volatile moment. Mick Martinez’s guitar work bubbles beneath the surface before breaking through, as Riley Hall’s bass and Mike Taddeo’s drums intensify, that steadiness starting to fracture. Anchored by repetition, “Can’t see what it does to me / Again and again and again and again and again,” the bridge builds a sense of mounting desperation, each repeated line landing harder than the last. The pleas spiral into something more urgent before transpiring into full Midwest emo and noise rock territory, ending in guttural screams.
Closer “What’s Inside of Me” pulls the EP inward, trading its explosive intensity for something more delicate and introspective. Gentle fingerpicked guitars and soft percussion give way to a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere, where White’s vocals drift with an almost ghostly presence reminiscent of Ethel Cain at times. As its title suggests, the final track confronts the fear of letting someone see you fully and the instinct to retreat when connection feels within reach. It captures that in-between space of self-awareness and avoidance, where you don’t fully understand your own motives or distance, but feel the weight of it all the same.
Across In Heaven There’s Rainbows, Snarls deepen their own sound, returning to their roots while pushing their sonic and emotional limits. The EP captures a band learning how to sit with contradictions of heaviness and softness, certainty and doubt, all while arriving at a place that feels both grounded and expansive. It finds meaning in the process, in the repetition, the noise, and the quiet moments in between, proving that growth is about moving forward regardless of how clear the path there is.
