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Tuques are a four-piece from Edmonton, Alberta that consist of guitarist/vocalists Nathan Levassur and Stacy Burnett, along with bassist, Alana Taylor, and drummer Durell Smith. The band released their debut EP Slushpuppie late-last year on the cassette label, Phok-ing Tapes.

Slushpuppie is an amalgamation of the elongated post-rock of Mogwai and torrential flurry of haze (a la Slowdive). The result is a patient blaze of slow churning guitars that sway and raze your emotions.

Tracks like the radiating opener “No Cops” and “Feelin” epitomize the marriage between the two genres. Lacking any distinguishable hooks or refrains, the band uses instrumental motion to incite emotions. The imposing opaque guitars on “No Cops” are grandiose, yet gingerly creeps along, leaving a bit of room for the muffled moans of “no more cops” to peek through the hazy mix. In the same breadth, the chorus-less “Rosie” slowly sizzles with indomitable percussions and droning melodies.

While not entirely engrossed in slowcore tropes, the band gets sparky on “Stay With Me.” In between the buoyant soundscapes, a bit of clarity is mixed into the fold by channeling their inner Sonic Youth with jangly intermissions. Donning jittery riffs and uppity tempos, “Alone” is one of the more pacey tracks, along with “Feelin,” which have more of an alt-rock/post-rock feel.

On their debut, Tuques strum up six slowcore gems with plenty of subtle textures that’ll call for deep listening with your best pair of headphones.