After a few years away from record store shelves, Gouge Away will make their return in March via their third studio album, Deep Sage.
The sessions for the record started in 2019 during tour stop sound checks and breaks between traveling. Working out of a storage unit in Orlando, Florida, the band demoed material with Brok Mende, working up a bulk of the material that would eventually make up the new album.
The pandemic halted plans while members of Gouge Away moved to different parts of the country, but the quintet decided to reconvene just before New Year's Eve 2022 to finish writing Deep Sage. Moving operations to Portand, Oregon, the band continued writing, leaning harder into both the more abrasive and melodic sides of their stylistic approach.
Recording Deep Sage in March 2023 with Jack Shirley at the console, the band played together in a live room while vocalist Christina Michelle was in an isolation booth, yielding the rawest and most immediate performance of Gouge Away's discography to date. Gouge Away had previously dropped a surprise secret album single "Idealized" in May of 2023.
Check out the music video for album opener "Stuck in a Dream" to hear the results for yourself:
Gouge Away vocalist Christina Michelle shared the following about the track:
"Recording live and to tape creates an intense environment where we have no choice but to feed off each other’s energy. We have to get it right in one take and if anyone messes up we all have to start over, so no one wants to be that guy. It adds an element of risk and excitement.
"We don’t want to sound beautifully polished or perfect anyway. We want to sound like the five of us being human, and no one is better than Jack Shirley when it comes to capturing what it feels like in the room."
Deep Sage will be available on digital and physical formats on March 15 via Deathwish Inc. (pre-order/pre-save).
Gouge Away live shows:
February 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium w/ Ceremony, Infest, Soul Search, Blazing Eye
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