Sadness is the project of Damián Antón Ojeda, a musician from Maryland who has released 23 whole albums — not counting splits and compilations — moving between post-black, blackgaze, DSBM and emo. «Sunset Blush» came out on August 23, 2026 and is one of his softest moments: four tracks, 37 minutes, more «clean» and more emotional than anything he has done recently.
Country: USA (Maryland)
Genre: Shoegaze, Emo, Post-Rock (clean vocals)
For fans of: Violet Cold, Møl, Panopticon, Lantlôs
The album
The album comes after «Spring 2025», which was the project’s first recording as a proper band, with live singer Alexandra Szydelska and a harder, black metal sound. Here everything is simplified: «Sunset Blush» keeps the clean vocals, the melodies and a warm, glittering atmosphere that recalls a sunset. On additional vocals is Abriction, while the cover — a street photograph at dusk, with the sky in gold and peach — ties in perfectly with the mood of the music.
- pink sunset (8:38)
- pink sounds (8:34)
- summer love (9:22)
- istoy (11:03)
Our take
Four tracks, all over eight minutes, built with patience: soft guitars that open slowly, clean vocals, and a sadness that isn’t hidden behind heavy riffs but behind melodies. «summer love» is the album’s most direct track, «istoy» the most patient and the closer that lasts longer than any other.
It is music for the last nights of summer, not for a quick listen. Anyone looking for the project’s most extreme, black metal sound may find it far too soft here, and the long tracks take time to «sink in». But if you like that bridge between shoegaze, emo and post-rock, «Sunset Blush» holds its mood from start to finish without tiring you out.
Find them
- Bandcamp: sadnessmusic.bandcamp.com
See also: Cairiss – Wilderness | Nostalghia – Departure
Source: https://theprogressivesubway.com/2026/09/13/review-sadness-sunset-blush/
