By: Alaina Scholl
Asheville indie-rock band Wednesday’s fourth album, Bleeds, is a worthy successor to 2023’s Rat Saw God. With their familiar southern drawl, sentiments, and noisy rock sound, the record evokes the grit and nostalgia of Appalachia, a hallmark of the band’s sound. Bleeds leans further into ragged country twang than ever before without abandoning their shoegaze roots entirely.
The opener “Reality TV Argument Bleeds” is familiar territory. Its fuzzy, overdriven riffs recall their debut: I Was Trying To Describe You to Someone. It’s not a reinvention, but a reminder of the sonic backbone that has carried the band forward.
“Townies” sets itself apart as this album’s “Quarry” with its relatively standard structure and bouncy rhythm. It by no means lacks any depth. The lyrics tell the story of a girl whose nudes get leaked, wishing she had the chance to confront the culprit before his untimely death. If there’s one thing Wednesday’s frontwoman (Karly Hartzman) will do, it’s make raunchy lyrics somehow timeless. Her near-yodelling of the melody brings the track to a robust and satisfying finish.
The other singles, along with “Townies” form the heart of the record. The lead single “Elderberry Wine” introduces lyrics to the nostalgic themes and country tones that the album carries on. “Wound Up Here (By Holdin’ On)” – my personal favorite – leans on overdriven guitars sharpened by twang, paired with some of Hartzman’s strongest storytelling.
Not only does Bleeds carry similar motifs from previous albums, it revisits familiar favorites from them. “Phish Pepsi” first appearing on the Guttering EP with Jake “MJ” Lenderman, has been reworked from its rough country-grunge beginnings into something more lively and expansive. The closer, “Gary’s II”, serves as a companion to Twin Plagues’ final track, another tribute to Gary, whose house served as a creative hub for the band.
If there’s a flaw in Bleeds, it’s the pacing. Slow-burn ballads, such as “The Way Love Goes” often sit wedged between louder, frenzied tracks, creating an erratic flow that may feel disorienting to newcomers. For longtime listeners though, that unpredictability is part of Wednesday’s DNA. The album’s uneven sequencing mirrors its patchwork storytelling – seemingly unrelated songs stitched together into a portrait of Appalachia, where moments of chaos, quiet, humor, and heartbreak coexist. In that way, Bleeds feels less like a neatly ordered record and more like a lived-in place. Messy yet magnetic, Bleeds captures Wednesday at their most unvarnished, weaving noisy riffs, country twang, and raw storytelling into a portrait of life that feels as unpredictable and enduring as Appalachia itself.
Rating: ⅘ stars