REVIEW: Lucid Express - Instant Comfort

It's been four years since Hong-Kong based, shoegaze dreampop band LUCID EXPRESS have released their first full album. Their second EP, Instant Comfort, has been released to portray the bands growth in those years and show what they've really learnt from their short time in the music industry. It is a particularly long EP with nine songs and it's the kind you'll want to listen to a few times to really hear all the elements to each song. 

Distorted guitars ring out through the intro of Promise Me, echoing and creating a dramatic space that is eventually filled by drums and electronic melodies as well as sweet, layered vocals. As shoegaze usually does the song jumbles everything together with noise making it feel dense yet still the track keeps the dream pop energy, light and airy and almost psychedelic. The end of the song drops into thick guitars, bringing a melancholy layer underlying the last chorus as the song ends. Take Heart starts with a faster pace following a similar structure starting with guitar then drums and eventually vocals. The melody and underlying chords create a more hopeful sound than the last track using more of the major scale with sharp snares and a sprinkle of hi-hat taps all bringing the energy up. Distortion and reverb still play a large part in the track despite the light instrumental keeping that traditional shoegaze hum in the background. 

The third track brings a clearer guitar melody, the guitar almost singing by itself rather than repeating a riff. Something Blue manages to really curate a particular feeling within a listener, like a spot of sun on a rainy day. Thickness is added as the track flows making it feel grand and open, almost drawing out the vocals but not quite, LUCID EXPRESS seem to have perfected a balance between the two. Set Back comes in harder and heavier than other tracks, with screeching guitar solos littered through the track and a more melancholy melody leading it. This is the shortest in the album but packs a lot into that short time, repeating its vocal lines and riffs it sticks with you through the rest of the album. Stars in the Car brings back that echoing psychedelic guitar and a deep bass almost reminiscent of an 80s ballad bringing a certain nostalgia. The vocal melody slides around the scale feeling like a dragging as the guitar riffs become denser before almost dropping out completely for a moment at the end of the chorus. The vocals layer with a full drum beat in the second half of the song changing the atmosphere completely, with an almost unsettling feeling flowing behind all the noise in the forefront. 

Aster continues with the same psychedelic and nostalgic vibe as the last but intensified slightly, following its name in making itself feel like an outer space journey. A guitar solo rings through the latter half of the song, singing on its own and creating a melody without vocals. The instrumental continues till the close of the song and really gives you a moment to appreciate all the intricate layers that build together to create the complex sounds you hear as they drop out one by one to end out the track. Faux Sweetness cuts in and out with choppy vocals and riffs, it really stands out from the rest of the album and is unique in many aspects. An acoustic guitar underlays the entire track switching between a very small amount of guitars; it almost has the opposite effect to the other tracks, where the others feel grand and open; this feels contained and small. 

Dark Glass is the most intense shoegaze of the bunch with a howling instrumental weaved throughout and densely distorted riffs. The lyrics take up almost no space in the track where others might have been led by vocals; this one is overtaken by its hypnotic instrumental with the vocals as decoration. This is our personal favourite here at Out of Rage with a huge range of sounds being stitched together so well, not feeling overwhelming but filling every nook and cranny with noise it is a great display of talent in producing and song writing.  The final track on the album continues the descent bringing everything into a turbulent ending. Instant Comfort has dissonant chords, tonnes of layering and contortion at every point imaginable. A pummeling bass drum builds bringing every other instrument with it, all the components used through the song crashing together for an almighty and abrupt ending.  

Despite their short time in the industry, LUCID EXPRESS have managed to curate a great balance between the genres that influence them to find a somewhat unique sound within a packed and growing subgenre. Each track brings a similar yet individual feeling along with it, it's a very emotive album, the kind that could soundtrack a whole life. The band have a great year ahead of them and we hope to see more and more growth through the release of this album into whatever they plan to release next. 

Score: 9/10

Instant Comfort will be released on 20th February 2026 via Kanine Records

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: Lucid Express