I’ve been following the Pacific Northwest band Bliss Foxx for a few years now. Each release has been a welcome breath of fresh air – and gives me a bit of “homesickness” (I lived in the Seattle ‘burbs for 18 years). The songs that the band comes up with remind me of the late, great Heavens to Betsy with a modern feel. On the slower songs I conjure up memories of driving through Olympia, WA on the way to the coast. Pacific Ocean dreams.
Kesha Rose founded the band is on vocals / guitar (and some bass). She is joined on the band’s latest release by Dakota Sevens (drums / guitar), James King (bass / guitar), Brent Long (guitar), and Connor O’Shea (guitar). What I like about Eat Sleep Freak is that I can hear the band settling into their own sound and working together as a unit – it doesn’t feel disjointed. The sound still retains the riot grrrl influences whilst also leaning in on expansive soundscapes. It is the band’s best release to date and one of those records that makes you believe in the possibilities of music. How many times have we heard “Oh, it’s all been done before!” sighed in exasperation from an aging indie rocker? I kind of despise that mentality – and Kesha & company reward my faith in music with this release.
Photo by Randy Calica
Hoops gets the album started off on a high note. A bit of a Stooges influence with this track, which I love. Sweet and to the point “cherry lips, banana splits / always in the mood for this / and I like you better than any other”. Trigger slows the pace down a bit and feels like an end of relationship song. Stylistically, it dials down the punk and dials up mid 90’s alternative. There’s even a sad, emotive guitar solo. Love this tune. “I’m not gonna sit around and wonder if you meant it / here’s the trigger / middle finger”. Marina follows with a quick dash of punk rock righteousness. Nice sequencing! Waterfall is NOT a cover of the TLC song; we’ll leave that to Weezer. What this song is, however, is a killer closing track to this album. It has a start / stop tempo that reminds me a bit of Nirvana or more accurately, The Pixies. It gives the listener a sense of what Bliss Foxx can do – tugging at your emotions with rage and melody. “say I shouldn’t fall like the waterfalls / I’ve been digging in my daydreams”.
I’m interested to see what comes next from Bliss Foxx – but until then, I’ll have this album on repeat.
You can buy the EP here.
Verdict: Modern Riot grrrl
For Fans of: Sonic Youth, Liliput, Sleater-Kinney, The Raincoats, Bikini Kill, The Breeders, Heavens to Betsy
Tracks:
- Hoops
- Deduce
- Trigger
- Marina
- Queenie
- Stretch
- Waterfall