Wednesday – Bleeds (Album Review)

Above all else, Wednesday’s sixth studio album, ‘Bleeds’ opens up with layers of dissonance with “Reality TV Arguments Bleeds.” This distortion conveys reality in a really cutting and edgy way. And you get the sense that this dissonance is the image the band wants to promote right off the bat with this opening track. The instrumentals are layered in quite provocatively, with drums and percussion and reeling guitar riffs sending you off.

The band really packs it all in. Once the wall of guitars settles in, the band sets the tone with vocals from frontwoman Karly Hartzman. Her off-key vocals conjure up instances of also a frontwoman of another well-known indie band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. Listeners will be blown away by how Hartzman can change her tone from sarcastic to heartfelt in a matter of seconds.

Each track unfolds in this manner. You never know what you will be getting. The instrumentals that back up Hartzman are strong. The lap steel guitar in “Townies” adds a country twang to an otherwise mainly indie rock vibe. Hartzman really lets loose her vocals, which edged with distortion and reverb, sound on the cusp of something truly tragic.

Lyrically, what makes this album so magnetizing is the dark undertones that run throughout. Though in some instances, there is more light than shadow. All in all, this is a bittersweet album. Not all-out happy and not entirely sad either. What you get is a mixture of both worlds. You’ll get serious chills as Hartzman goes from coo to a snarl—all in a matter of moments, it seems like. This is especially evident in tracks like “Phish Pepsi” and “Elderberry Wine.” Other notables include: “Candy Breath,” “The Way Love Goes,” “Pick Up That Knife,” and “Bitter Everyday.”

In regard to production and the mixing, the record is filled with tons of reverb and distortion, giving this a rough-around-the-edges and unfinished feel. But this is exactly what makes this album sound so raw and excitingly DIY. What you get isn’t the sort of run-of-the-mill stuff big studios would churn out. What unfolds is truly startling, making the record stand out among all the other cookie-cutter releases out there.

What is undeniable from beginning to end is that ‘Bleeds’ is definitely infused with spirit. Despite the underbelly being relatively gloomy, you get the sense from the get-go that Wednesday is all about getting their love of music across. This is obvious as they explore in their sound everything from gothic southern country to noise, punk, indie, acoustic and so much more.

What I love about this album is that Wednesday is unafraid to convey those dark moments and even those vulnerable moments, where the band strips everything down to just bare vocals and guitar like in “Bitter Everyday.” In every instance, the band shows their enthusiasm for their sound, unrelenting and honest in every sense of the word.

More than anything, despite the dark notes, this is a celebratory album. An album where the band is unafraid to bare their true selves to the world. And this, in the truest sense, is what makes their sound so addicting. They show us that they are as comfortable in one genre as they are in the next. In a span of this 12-track album, Wednesday has demonstrated that their versatility and range have met the mark in so many of their listeners’ ears.

Score/Excellent: Wednesday doesn’t just stick to one format. They’ve formulated their sound by experimenting with a variety of genres and styles. This format has made them stick out in my mind, and most likely, most audience members out there. They’ve shown us that there is no such thing as a clear-cut formula when it comes to great music.

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