Back in November, I shared the title track from Weak, the sophomore EP from Austin shoegaze quartet, Blushing. The band officially released the five-song collection today, and it lives up to the promise of that early single.
I used a couple of my tried and true shoegaze / dream pop words to describe "Weak:" swirling, explosive. And, while I may not be creative enough as a writer to really get at the crux of it; throughout the EP, Blushing deploy the contrast between swirling, explosive, crashing noise and Christina Carmona's and Michelle Soto's angelic vocals. "Hidden Places" starts off as dark post-punk before sailing off on its chorus of "I can wake up in your head if I can't wake up in your bed." "Bliss" is softly floating dream pop that expands to fill all available space as it moves along.
The aggressive intro to "Bound" is one of my favorite musical things of this very young year. It's a bit of a misdirection, though, as the song softens up quickly. Again, Blushing play with contrasts to great effect.
Closer "Love You Twice" may be the standout here for me. It's the best fusion of pop and shoegaze on the EP, and it doesn't hurt that it gives me a bit of a Jesus and Mary Chain ("No one gets to love you twice / Love you twice" had me feeling a bit of "I'll be your plastic toy...") vibe during the chorus. The bridge is incredibly satisfying.
When I wrote about "Weak," I said, "It's just my thing. What can I say?" That pretty much sums up my feeling on the entire EP. I love this stuff, and Blushing do it really, really well.
Weak is out now over at Blushing's Bandcamp page. You can get vinyl via Austin Town Hall.
Blushing play a release show on Saturday, January 27th, at Cheer Up Charlie's in Austin with the incomparable Ringo Deathstarr, Single Lash, and AitGA.
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