No artist credited 🙁

Style: Shoegaze, Emo, Post-Rock (Clean Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Violet Cold, Møl, Panopticon, Lantlôs
Country: United States (Maryland)
Release date: 23 August 2026

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Sadness have been a fascination for me for quite some time now—the band, not the emotion. Well, okay, I can be a sensitive little sponge sometimes. A lot of the time. Anyway, point is, I feel a lot of things, and Sadness, the (usually) one-man project masterminded by prolific musician Damián Antón Ojeda, have consistently tapped into my emotional veins across their multitudinous releases. Found somewhere in the knotted roadways of post-black, blackgaze, DSBM¹, emo, and atmoblack, Sadness have taken on one or more of these personas across their twenty-three full-length releases (to say nothing of the innumerable splits and compilations). More recent releases have shifted beyond the project’s depressive state and crystalized into a series of reverent, romantic-tinged albums that, despite a shimmering post-y warmth, nevertheless maintain the music’s long-standing penchant for melancholia and wistfulness—a lingering meditation on the inexorable march of time, and how we should cherish life’s precious moments for one day they too, like us, will become dust.

Sunset Blush continues to highlight Sadness’ softer, more heartfelt side. While Spring 2025 (notable for being the first recording of the band as a full group) buzzed with a black metal edge and more acerbic sonic qualities (owed greatly to live vocalist Alexandra Szydelska’s raw-throated howling), Sunset Blush strips that all away for a glittering emo vibe, like the last days of summer made manifest in musical form. Sadness have always excelled at matching album artwork to the vibe of the music within, and here is no exception. The cover snapshot of an evening street, the environment pitched to near-silhouette as the sky, striped in gold and peach, glows like the promise of some transcendent freedom divorced from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. There’s a wistfulness emanating from the imagery, of having experienced the root joy of living—not the soulless grind of the 9-5, but the uncomplicated simplicity of being, of radiating within a sublime moment in time but knowing it cannot last forever. The question, then, is not whether Sadness can pull this off, but can they do so compellingly?

To get straight to it, the answer is: yes, mostly. “Pink Sunset” and companion “Pink Sounds” shimmer with wistful, nostalgic chords and a cymbal-heavy percussion that feels like the white noise of rain on a summer day. Snares and toms roll across the soundscape like far-off thunder amidst twinkling, starlit guitars and a buoyant, burbling bass. Whereas prior Sadness releases were soaked in distortion and lo-fi texturing, here Ojeda has opted for an appropriately warm, punchy sound that radiates the sort of scrappy DIY garage band vibes that had me at times thinking of Alexisonfire’s post-hardcore / emo debut. Ojeda never ventures into the acerbic screamo of that record, mind, though Sadness’ black metal origins do come through in brief flickers on “Pink Sunset”, or the howls and blasts that beckon closer “Istoy” to its final moments.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Sunset Blush, however, is the curation of its pacing. For all the love I have for Sadness, I’ll be the first to admit the project has exhibited editing issues across its discography. Songs tend to fixate on singular sonic ideas that, while often enjoyable, could easily have a few minutes trimmed back for a more concise listening experience. Granted, Sadness are one of those bands that I would categorize as “chill-core”; that is, their long, often repetitive or wandering compositions are perfect for lazy days where you just want to zone out on a sea of feelings. Still, Sunset Blush impressed me with the general brevity of its material. Despite every song running past the eight minute mark and the more laid-back tone of the record, Ojeda keeps things fresh with a solid sense of build-up and smooth transitions from idea to idea, without feeling either languid or rushed. Even “Istoy”, clocking in at the Sadness-standard eleven minutes, unfurls with a deceptive briskness. Nothing feels dragged out or beaten to death, with the conclusion / continuation of ideas feeling organic rather than forced. I’ll lay that at the feet of Ojeda’s kitwork, which is energetic, sometimes even explosive, and the way it picks you up like a wave to carry you through the compositions is borderline sublime at times.

Sunset Blush is well-composed, the production inviting and the pacing friendly, easy to throw on and vibe out to. If I had any complaints, they would be focused on a lack of staying power. There are no “standout” moments to point a prospective listener to—but, this isn’t power metal or deathcore. Sadness have always operated on a vibes-first platform, preferring to sculpt emotive soundscapes rather than be noted for any singularly great instrumental flair. Still, this makes Sunset Blush something of a situational work, and those looking for something that sticks in the mind may want to venture elsewhere. For fans of Sadness, though, there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had moment-to-moment—Ojeda is singularly fantastic at this sort of emotive, melancholic yet heartfelt songcraft. And to any who bemoaned Sadness’ evolution from solo project to full-on band², this may represent a welcome return.

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Recommended tracks: Pink Sunset, Pink Sounds, Istoy
You may also like: Nostalghia, Abriction, Vulning, Magogaio, To Be Gentle
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Sadness is:
– Damián Antón Ojeda (everything)
With guests:
– Abriction (additional vocals)

1. Depressive Suicidal Black Metal, for those not in the know. ↩︎
2. Personally, I like full-band Sadness, but to each their own. ↩︎