Bashful - Driving
Richmond, the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is also the hometown of pop-punk outfit Bashful.
Bashful
Made up of Jake Guralnik (guitar, vocals), James Goodson (bass), and Alex Wilhelm (drums), the trio known as Bashful just dropped their debut album, Driving, on Low Risk Records.
Production credits on the album go to Chris Compton, who performed engineering and mixing, along with the guest guitar solo on “Fun?” Mastering was done by Dave Downham at Gradwell House. Since mixing and mastering affect any band’s overall sound, I like to mention who’s responsible for the sonic character.
Driving contains 10-tracks, commencing with “Boston Shitter,” which opens on a tasty guitar-filled intro flowing into a straight-forward pop-punk melody full of grinding guitars and superior percussion. Guralnik’s vocals infuse the lyrics with contagious sk8ter punk vibes.
Favorite tracks (highly subjective) include “Lightheaded,” riding roiling, snarling guitars full of metallic brilliance. I love the restrained guitar accents on this track, adding tight colors, but not attempting to grandstand by demonstrating every lick the guitarist (Guralnik) ever learned in fifteen-seconds.
Wilhelm displays his finessed talent on the drums on this track, injecting sweet fills and rumbling resonance.
The title track delivers darker, more muscular colors, as vocal harmonies imbue the lyrics with depth and strident flavors. Wilhelm displays his finessed talent on the drums on this track, injecting sweet fills and rumbling resonance.
“Running” thrums with galvanizing dynamics, blending elements of power-pop with pop-punk, although leaning heavily toward the punk end of the spectrum. Cool, almost Brit-flavored vocal tones, give the track a definite Brit-invasion feel.
“Fun?” rolls out rumbling guitars riding brawny tones, as Guralnik spits out cranky lyrics. The guest solo by Compton blisters the harmonics with just the right coloration. “On My Way Out” opens on deliciously booming percussion, followed by the entry of cutting guitars rife with surging energy.
On Driving, Bashful exhibits plenty of sonic oomph, infectious rhythms, expressive lyrics, and beaucoup scrummy vocal harmonies. Good stuff!
