Florida five piece Gouge Away have just released their third LP and we couldn’t be more grateful that their hiatus didn’t last. This album is a true gift from the band to their long-term fans who have been longing for six years for new music, and spoiler: it was so worth the wait.
Deep Sage has been in the works since 2020 when the production of the album was forcibly paused due to the pandemic. In 2022, when the band relocated to Portland, Oregon, they appeared on stage as live guests for Militarie Gun. It was right then that a fire reignited and they decided to finish their project. The album has been recorded in analog and almost entirely live with Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden East in March 2023. Definitely not an over-produced album, but filled with abrasive noise and with a gigantic soul. The tracks space from post-hardcore, noise rock and shoegaze with the already well-known Gouge Away signature.
‘Stuck in a Dream’ is the perfect opening for the album with multifaceted guitars by Mick Ford and Dylan Downey and crispy clear drumming by Thomas Cantwell. Here, vocalist Christina Michelle slaps us in the face with her repetitive lyrics, which are something we will find again throughout the course of the whole record.
“You are now in an episode of Buffy the Vampire’s Slayer, you are entering 'The Bronze' and you are admiring this grungy angelic figure on stage singing.”
The next two tracks ‘Maybe Blue’ and ‘Idealized’ are also examples of guitars that are never predictable and of a fuzzy bass, by Tyler Forsythe, that has always been an immediately distinctive and fundamental element for the band. The way they are able to balance chaos and quiet in their tracks is something completely unique. Special commend to Christina Michelle’s capability to switch between her soft vocals and her agonizing screams. The songs are all so different but somehow also so perfectly coherent between them, it was such a pleasant experience to go through this album from the beginning to the end.
Absolut stand out is ‘A Welcome Change’. A soothing track that brings you back to a late 90’s/early 00’s atmosphere. You are now in an episode of Buffy the Vampire’s Slayer, you are entering “The Bronze” and you are admiring this grungy angelic figure on stage singing: “And it isn’t like me to stop. Isn’t like me to stop to breathe. Fill it up, empty it out. Release, repeat.” Yes, please, more of this for the shoegaze and grunge lovers.
‘No Release’ is the post-hardcore banger of the record. The syncopated rhythmic are perfectly interlacing with the strumming guitars and powerful lyrics, which are the perfect link to get to ‘The Sharpening’, one of the grittiest tracks. Here the bass is a protagonist once again and you’re faced with the most abrasive screams of the whole album. ‘Newtau’ is also an interesting turn, leaning on the more screamo side of the band, a profusion of clean vocals and shouting before the embracing ending that is ‘Dallas’. This sweet melancholic cuddle soothes you after the rollercoaster of emotions you just experienced while listening to Deep Sage. Welcome back Gouge Away.