Texas noise-rock band Narrow Head have been gaining momentum, amassing a loyal fanbase and refining their sound since they formed in Dallas in 2013. Now based in Houston, the quartet has been called a shoegaze band, but it's not a classification frontman Jacob Duarte welcomes. "I don't even think I like shoegaze," he said in an interview with Dallas Observer in 2020.
That said, Narrow Head do share a noisy, feedback-heavy guitar style in common with shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive--but they come down more on the side of heavy rock than British indie music.
As for the group's beginnings, Duarte's father and uncle, Steve and Rudy Duarte, are members of '90s emo/pop-punk band The Tie That Binds. Growing up, though he was influenced by his family's music, as well as bands like blink-182, it was the tragedy of Duarte's sister passing away that led to a darker turn in his tastes--and eventually to Narrow Head's music.
Narrow Head started off as a trio with Duarte on vocals, William Menjivar on guitar and Carson Wilcox on drums. They experimented with punk rock, post-hardcore and shoegaze elements but found a way to make them their own. In 2020, Narrow Head signed with Boston-based independent label Run For Cover Records and released the singles "Night Tryst," "Stuttering Stanley" and "Hard to Swallow" in advance of their dirty and grungy second album, 12th House Rock.
Their third full-length album, Moments of Clarity, followed in 2023. "Moments of Clarity is anthemic and explosive," Pitchfork said of the project. "The tones are bigger and smoother...contrasts and ambiguity create a tension that pays off with the release of each big, triumphant hook."
After weathering a number of lineup changes over the years, Narrow Head is back and headed out on tour in 2023, with concerts scheduled in select U.S. cities and in Europe.
