Welcome the Worms
With the opening “Keep On Keepin’ On”—a forceful, distorted chugger bolstered by an infectious chorus—Bleached lay out the blueprint for *Welcome the Worms*. The L.A. band’s second album is filled with vicious but vivacious bangers, each sugary hook smeared with grime, as heard in the dizzying pound of “Trying to Lose Myself Again” or the Joan Jett-indebted snarl of “Sour Candy.” The unabashedly ’80s power pop muscle of “Hollywood, We Did It All Wrong” ends things with a glorious bang that’ll pull you right back to the start.
Los Angeles-based sister duo Jennifer and Jessie Clavin knew things were going to be different for their band Bleached sophomore LP 'Welcome The Worms'. Not only had they managed to charm world renowned producer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Elton John) to join the sisters and their bassist Micayla Grace in the studio, but Jen and Jessie had been crawling out of their own personal dramas. While emotionally spinning, they dove head first into music. The three girls spent time writing the 10 song LP at a remote house in Joshua Tree, away from the distractions of the city. Other times Jen and Jessie worked alone, just like when they were teenaged punk brats playing in their parents’ garage, imitating their heroes The Slits, Black Flag and Minor Threat. In the studio, Chiccarelli and co-producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, YACHT) helped the band perfect their fervent songs into fearlessly big pop melodies. They drew inspiration from the iconic hits of everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Heart to Roy Ayers. The result is an ambitious rock record with a new found pop refinement that somehow still feels like the Shangri-Las on speed, driven forward in a wind of pot and petals, a wall of guitars in the back seat.
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'Welcome The Worms' by Bleached, album review by Adam williams. The full-length comes out on April 1 on Dead Oceans. Bleached play 3/29 in Santa Barbara, CA