Bleach Bandit
From Frederick, Maryland, pop-punk outfit Bleach Bandit released their self-titled EP recently. And it’s more than alright! In fact,
Bleach Bandit
Sadly, once again, there’s a paucity of information on Bleach Bandit. Neither their Bandcamp page nor their Facebook page reveals much about their influences, how they got together, where they’ve played, or the band’s personality.
Bleach Bandit is made up of: Mickey Birdsall (vocals), Alexa Johnson (guitar), Ian Mitchell (guitar), Cole Johnson (drums), and James Galdamez (bass), who also handled the EP’s tracking and cover art, while Toby Valmas mixed and mastered.
Encompassing four-tracks, the EP starts off with “1lb. Ground Beef,” opening on fuzzy guitars shimmering with droning colors, as Birdsall’s deliciously strident vocals infuse the lyrics with insistent buzzing flavors.
It’s a grand voice, custom-made for pop-punk, exuding melodic oomph and sneering grimacing timbres.
“Welcome to The Terrible Time’s” intro rides Johnson’s rumbling drums topped by shiny guitar tones, followed by the entry of Birdsall’s wonderful voice, vaguely reminiscent of Dolores O’Riordan, only more nasal and tighter. After a brief breakdown, the tune assumes gleaming pop-punk energy and fuzzed-out hues, as Birdsall’s voice becomes tougher and more piercing. It’s a grand voice, custom-made for pop-punk, exuding melodic oomph and sneering grimacing timbres.
“Dear J, This Summer Was Weird” travels on a taut melody imbued with hints of glinting pop textures. I love the bassline on this track, fat, round, and slapping, which, along with Johnson’s finessed drumming, provides a tasty rolling rhythm.
“Cherie” features snug guitars flowing into a grumbling groove, as Birdsall’s voice achieves both spitting notes and scrumptious melodicism. On the chorus, buzz-saw guitars fill the tune with a cutting wall-of-sound effect, rife with harsh-textured get-up-and-go. Speaking subjectively, this is the best track on the EP, but frankly, there’s not really a weak track among the four.
Bleach Bandit delivers plenty of sonic impact on this EP; in fact, they’re good enough and Birdsall’s voice is unique enough to warrant some label scooping them up.
