What They’re Doing, I’m Unsure, But I Like It
Bleary Eyed are an experimental indie rock band from Philadelphia, PA whose most recent album Guise is to say the least a unique listen.
A quirky, electronic, and occasionally over-produced experiment in blending traditional rock rhythm with avant-garde melody making and spoken-word lyrics, Guise begins to make more and more sense the longer you listen.
Or maybe it doesn’t. There’s a strong possibility I just don’t get it. But the more I listen to Bleary Eyed’s discography, the more my ears peel back the multitude of synth beats and sound effects and focus closer on the grooves led by a tight underpinning from their rhythm section. Their 2020 EP Spectre Run is a lot more of a post-punk alternative sound a la The Pixies. Still a little off-kilter, but a little more accessible for the ear to pick out specific instruments from the wall of sound that is much of Guise.
What you end up with in a lot of Bleary Eyed songs, is something actually quite catchy and hooky, but it feels like the hook is nearly subconscious with some much added over the top. Certain tracks like “This Loss” are stripped from a lot of the extra sound effects and feel a lot more like a typical post-punk track that you’d see from a lot of emo/punk/alt acts you hear today.
Whether you end up like their sound will be up to you, but I would recommend actually giving some repeat listens and I think you will find Bleary Eyed’s unique sound intriguing more and more.
Best Song:
“Holy Hell” from Guise
Honorable Mentions:
“Common Thoughts” from Guise
“Ooh, I Made It Back Home Again” from Spectre Run
Best Lyric:
Can’t understand a single word.