Back in January, I included Bent Blue on my annual 12 Newer Hardcore Bands to Check Out list, so you already know how I feel about these dudes.
For No Echo's readers who might have not heard them yet, the San Diego group mines from the melodic side of the hardcore spectrum, delivering everything they do with an immediacy that grabs you instantly, oftentimes via earworm melodies and charing yet melancholic guitar parts.
"Knowing where we're headed sonically with our next record, I'd like to think we'd fit well on a bill with bands like Praise, Koyo, Fiddlehead, and Mil-Spec," vocalist Tony Bertolino tells No Echo when asked to comment on Bent Blue's stylistic point of view.
WAR Records (Strife, Fixation) will be releasing Bent Blue's excellent 2020 demo, Between Your and You're, along with two new tracks, on wax. "We've had folks asking us to put out Between Your and You're on vinyl since we first released the record," says Tony. "Being that a little time had passed since the initial release, we thought it would be cool to create a vinyl version with two new tracks that we recorded in mid-2020 as a way to reinvigorate the record and to stoke out those who have been patiently waiting."
Would you like to listen to one of those new jams? Of course you do. So, here's Bent Blue's take on the title track to Gray Matter's 1986 EP, Take It Back:
"When we first formed as a band, we had frequent discussions on the musical influences we wanted to draw from. We recognized that Gray Matter was one of the more obscure bands we were all mutually inspired by.
"There's this distinctive, stoic, emotive sound that came out of the late '80s DC scene that really inspired the kind of music we wanted to make. We agreed on doing a Gray Matter cover as a way to highlight a band that doesn't seem to get enough attention for how creative and special their music is."
In addition to the Between Your and You're vinyl release, what else does Tony and his Bent Blue bandmates have planned for the rest of the year? "We'll be releasing a new EP on 12-inch with WAR Records this summer. It's been a long time coming and we're really excited to share it with everyone. We're also planning an East Coast tour for late summer, so keep an eye out for dates."
Pre-orders are live for the Between Your and You're vinyl on WAR Records.
issuing Bent Blue's aforementioned 2020 demo along with two new promo songs on vinyl this spring, and a 12-inch entitled Where Do Ripples Go? in the summer. If that wasn't already exciting enough, the summertime will also find WAR Records teaming up with New Morality Zine to co-release a split Bent Blue/Sunstroke EP.
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Tagged: bent blue
