Boston alt-rock outfit Bleach the Sky return with "Wash Away", a focused five-track EP that channels the hazy edge of grunge, post-punk urgency, and shoegaze atmosphere.
Opening song and lead single "Gin" gets you right in the mood with its planted guitar sound that'll have you smashing your head up and down long before the end of the first minute. I loved the intro on the first play; a quiet sound preluded that wall of alt-rock noise, and I'm glad I turned it up as it rippled through my speakers.
"Tail Light" is a no-frills belter, with a thick guitar kicking things off before some smashing drums come in. It honestly reminds me of Linkin Park with that intro. But once the track has had its flurry of sound in the intro, it chills for a second, very 'Rollin'' by Limp Bizkit, but long after it bursts once more. I'd say that this could more or less be the track to sum the whole EP up – it's a frantic ride with plenty of sub-genres kicking about.
The middle of the EP is adorned with the track "Deadbolt", and this gave me massive 2000s rock vibes – showing my age here, perhaps – but this was a fantastic nod to the sounds that helped shape the band, with some sounds that reminded me of those obscure bands on Scuzz.fm.
Closing in fast on the end of the EP, we find ourselves arriving at the cut "Disguise", and out of all the intros, this has the most experimental-sounding intro. An effect that sounds almost like a phaser has had a fight with a helicopter, as the tempo here once again gets turned up. I honestly feel like if I saw this band live, I'd need to book a week off work to recover from the mosh pits. Finishing it all off is the perfectly titled "Into the End", a track all about being resilient, and it's here that their sound arguably is the heaviest.
Out of 10: 9/10