By Rob Duguay

The Wilkes-Barre doomgaze artist talks creative block, bare-bones recording, and why he prefers to play in shows with musicians that don’t sound like him.

Since its start in 2021, Somergloom has showcased the rich creativity of the evolving heavy music realm. It is a curated, four-day gathering that spans doom, post-metal, dark folk, experimental, and other “heavy” sounds united by an introspective, melancholic mood the organizers call “gloom.” Of course, along with the music, there are spooky, dark visuals designed to cultivate bleakness.

This year’s edition will take place at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom and Deep Cuts in Medford from August 6 through 9. Highlights will include Providence hardcore punks Dropdead and local bands Eight Foot Manchild, Junius, The Outlourdes, and Miracle Blood. Another act joining the fray is the one-man shoegaze/doomgaze project Planning for Burial, masterminded by Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania–based musician Thom Wasluck. He will perform on the festival’s third day at the Crystal Ballroom, starting at 9:35 p.m.

We spoke ahead of his set about how Wasluck started his current project, his approach to recording, his many connections to the Boston scene, and what he has coming up over the next few months.

Tom Wasluck with Planning for Burial. Photo: Ben Hoos

The Arts Fuse: Before Planning for Burial began in 2005, you played in a variety of bands. What inspired your impulse to go solo?

Thom Wasluck: I was playing in other bands, but during that time I was also recording on my own at home, with drum machines, a four-track, or even karaoke machines. I’ve been working on material by myself since I started playing music, so it’s hard to pinpoint a starting point. It just feels like a continuation of my life’s work, however preposterous that may sound.

AF: Your most recent album, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy, came out last year. How would you describe your evolution in recording, from your early releases to your latest one? Do you still use four-tracks, or do you use more complex equipment nowadays?

Wasluck: My DAW setup is still pretty bare-bones. I may add more rack gear, but for some projects I still track to four-track, then dump that into the DAW using a handful of decent mics. I also rely on outboard gear—compressors and real guitar pedals—rather than working entirely in the box.

AF: It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is your first album in seven years. Why the long gap, and what spurred you to make this record now?

Wasluck: I toured a bunch after my previous album, Below the House; then the pandemic hit, and I didn’t really want to work on stuff. I had much of the material for the last record written, but the idea of breaking it all back down and having to record it became daunting. I don’t know if I was going through something at the time, but I couldn’t get over that hurdle in my brain.

AF: What helped you get over that creative block?

Wasluck: I started recording in early 2024—and, I’ll be honest, I turned 40 later that year. At the beginning of 2025, I didn’t have a midlife crisis, but there were a couple of panic-inducing days of anxiety during which I felt like I was running out of time. That’s when I knew I had to get this album out.

AF: Somergloom is a unique festival that caters to all sorts of heavy music, ranging from hardcore punk to what you do—post-metal, shoegaze, and everything in between. What are your thoughts on being part of this multi-day event, which is so expansive in its melancholic vision?

The cover art for It’s Closeness, It’s Easy.

Wasluck: This is the kind of work I want to be involved in. Even when I was a kid, my local scene had freak-folk bands playing with noise bands and hardcore bands. That would make up the bill for one show—along with a synth band. It was never about being held to one genre; it was about being open to everything. I like that kind of stuff; it appeals to me. When I have a choice in booking shows and can pick the support acts, I don’t want to play with people who sound like me or are doing the same thing. I feel it cheapens what both of us can do. Personally, I’d rather hear as many different approaches as possible.

AF: You are based in Wilkes-Barre. Is there anything that stands out to you when performing in the Boston area versus other places you’ve toured?

Wasluck: I’ve made a lot of friends in Boston over the years, so that’s what stands out. It’s a place I’ve been connected to through friendships. I’ve been playing in Boston since 2011 or 2012, so I have a number of people I’m connected with. Boston and Providence are that kind of region for me.

AF: What are your plans for future projects, collaborations, or anything of the sort?

Wasluck: This upcoming show at Somergloom is a warmup for a fairly big European tour I have going on in October and November. That’s what will take up most of my time, brain, and thoughts. On top of that, I have a couple of little splits. I still have that punk mindset where I want to do split album releases [two or more separate bands, each contributing their own songs rather than collaborating on the same tracks] with my friends, just to do them. I have a couple of those I’m finishing up.

Rob Duguay is an arts & entertainment journalist based in Providence who is originally from Shelton, CT. Outside of The Arts Fuse, he has also written for DigBoston, Aquarian Weekly, Providence Journal, Newport Daily News, Worcester Magazine, New Noise Magazine, Manchester Ink Link, and numerous other publications. While covering mostly music, he has also written about film, TV, comedy, theater, visual art, food, drink, sports, and cannabis.