The record most of us, at this point, thought was never going to come out. Finally, four years after it was initially planned, the Weed Hounds self-titled LP is available from Katorga Works. Was it worth the wait? Short answer: yes. Since their 2009 demo, Weed Hounds have showed themselves to be one of, if not, the premiere contemporary shoegaze act, and the album only builds on the promise of their previous releases. The New York three-piece sounds like they would fit in along with some of Slumberland Records’ best of the early 90s, bands like Black Tambourine and Velocity Girl while maintaining an indie punk sound that makes having a previous EP out on Rok Lok Records a logical fit. Weed Hounds’ real strength is their emphasis of the dream pop elements of shoegaze instead of focusing on the wall-of-sound approach employed by the majority of their contemporaries – A Place To Bury Strangers come to mind – while also avoiding the nostalgic idol-worship of bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Recommended track: Heather W.