Wata: “Even when I’m recording, I’m always imagining the live shows in my head when I’m playing”

Wata with her new signature EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas pedal
(Image credit: EarthQuaker Devices)

Boris have been described as many things – as avant-garde, as experimental doom, noise rock, drone and so on. But maybe what the Japanese trio have been doing all along is making super-heavy feel-good music.

There’s a little channel-surfing along the way as they take the scenic route to communal replenishment. On one track, they might be playing in styles consonant with shoegaze, a dense cloud of candied rock-pop melodies to awaken the spirit. On another they’re harnessing the power of hardcore punk and creative destruction. 

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Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.