A lot of bands, especially when their tenure has reached long past the point where they are even remotely close to relevant, talk of “getting back to basics”.  Very few bands actually have an opportunity to do that, though.  Gouge Away have seen a prolonged period of inactivity, for a variety of valid reasons, but in this time frame, they managed to capture what few bands actually do when they intentionally set out to do so: they went back to their roots, rekindled their bonds and stripped away all the fluff and frills (not that they had much to begin with) to craft Deep Sage.

Gouge Away broke through the hardcore scene almost immediately with their much-lauded (and rightfully so) debut , Dies and their Deathwish Inc. funded sophomore release Burnt Sugar.  Both albums set the Fort Lauderdale quintet up to be at the top of the proverbial game, and indeed, they had every intention of capitalizing on that momentum.  In 2019, the band began writing Deep Sage during soundchecks and between tours, but then…I forget, *something* happened and all of a sudden any hope of this record seeing the light of day seemed squashed.  More than that, Gouge Away was forced into hiatus, and the band members were forced to go their separate ways and move to different corners of the country.  But then, on the very last day of 2021, it all seemed to come back together.  People reconnected with one another, and the old demos were dug out, and before you know it, the songs were completed, and even spontaneously debuted live.  And then, the inimitable Jack Shirley got the group together and recorded what would be Deep Sage, the comeback record that Gouge Away never thought would see the light of day.

When writing Deep Sage, the band wanted to focus on balancing more urgency in their music with more introspection in Christina Michelle’s lyrics.  Tracks like the aforementioned live reintroduction “Maybe Blue”, the title track and lead single “Dallas” all are brilliant showcases of not only the subtle but effective way that the band reaches these goals, but also Shirley’s deft and restrained hand behind the controls on this one.  The instrumentals were all recorded live in one room, with Michelle in a booth and her vocals coming out of a monitor so the rest of the band could hear her.  The idea is that Deep Sage should sound like 5 friends jamming in a mutual basement, and you know what?  It absolutely does.  Deep Sage is a mix of classic hardcore with somber indie rock a-la Pixies, Sonic Youth or even shades of Art Brut, all seamlessly weaved together primarily by the chameleonic way that Michelle can switch from a ferocious howl to a whimper and right back again in the span of a heartbeat.  And, like on Burnt Sugar, Gouge Away isn’t content to play it safe and rehash old territory.  Yes, the band drew particular influence from their formative influences, but the way they incorporate all that into the fabric of what makes Gouge Away Gouge Away is what cements Deep Sage as a step forward for the band.  Hell, “Dallas” is basically a full-blown shoegaze song, and “Maybe Blue”’s use of keyboards is the closest the band has ever come to full-blown pop territory.  Fear not though; there is absolutely no way that anyone could say that Deep Sage isn’t a heavy album, and it most certainly draws from the undying well of old-school hardcore.

Deep Sage is an album that feels both incredibly fresh and incredibly nostalgic, in ways that I am still trying to find sufficient words for.  Each repeated listen makes it more and more clear though: this is Gouge Away reignited, ready to keep the haters in shambles and carve out a place for themselves in the pantheon of outstanding Deathwish bands.    

-Ian

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Deep Sage is out March 15 on Deathwish, Inc.  For more information on Gouge Away, visit their official website.