Fort Worth’s shoegaze adventurers trauma ray are back with their new ‘Carnival’ EP, out now via Dais Records. Stream, share, and dive in here!
They’re also hitting the road across North America this Spring with Glixen, kicking things off with a Fort Worth Release Party on March 14 at Fire Station Skate Plaza.
Cementing themselves as one of shoegaze’s most essential bands right now, ‘Carnival’ captures trauma ray at their strongest, most intense, and experimental. The EP leans into moodier, cerebral territory—like holding their past explorations up to a warped funhouse mirror. Every song radiates unease, crafted under pressure and mined from the darker corners of the band’s collective subconscious.
Following the breakout success of 2024’s debut ‘Chameleon,’ which earned them high praise and tours with Deafheaven, Loathe, Touché Amoré, and more, Carnival shows the band pushing further into a sound that blends crushing riffs with delicate, almost eerie beauty. Their sonic palette nods to loud-quiet-loud icons across metal, grunge, and shoegaze, from Slowdive to Smashing Pumpkins.
Spring North American Tour
trauma ray are taking Carnival on the road co-headlining with Glixen, with support from Her New Knife, Knifeplay, Money, and Keep on select dates. Tickets & info here.
Live Dates Highlights:
- Mar 14: Fort Worth, TX – Fire Station Skate Plaza (Free w/ RSVP)
- Apr 10–11: San Antonio & Houston, TX – Paper Tiger & The Secret Group
- Apr 21–23: Brooklyn, NY / Boston, MA / Montréal, QC
- Apr 29–May 16: Minneapolis → Los Angeles → Dallas
Full list of dates here.
The Making of Carnival
After a relentless touring year, the band regrouped in Texas to record a flurry of tracks. Mixed and mastered by Corey Coffman (They Are Gutting A Body of Water, Milly), the EP reflects their most collaborative approach yet. As frontman Avila puts it, “It’s the most hands-on and hands-off we’ve ever been—every member’s influence comes through in a unique, non-biting way.”
Guitarist Coleman Pruitt and bassist Darren Baun added eerie rhythmic and textural elements, complementing the dark, anxious mood captured in a striking amusement park photo set by drummer Nicholas Bobotas, which now adorns the EP artwork.
Tracks like Carousel set a tense, unsettling tone, leading into the anthemic Hannibal, packed with raw riffs and emotion. Méliès, inspired by French filmmaker Georges Méliès, blends sludgy heaviness with dreamlike choruses, exploring the mind’s surreal distortions. Funhouse creeps into doom territory with slow, shifting perspectives, while Clown explodes in synthy, chaotic brilliance—a nod to tragic humour reminiscent of Robin Williams.
With nods to cult ’90s favourites like Failure and omnipresent shoegaze classics like ‘Loveless,’ ‘Carnival’ is a looping, immersive detour into darkness, proving trauma ray continue to grow bolder and more formidable with every release.
🎧 Listen / Buy – ‘Carnival’
🎬 Watch Hannibal Video
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