April 1st sees the release of Welcome The Worms, the ambitious new rock album by Los Angeles-based Bleached. While keeping the band’s origin of cheeky, California-punk in the forefront, Welcome The Worms is a smarter, heavier, emotionally deeper Bleached.
Sisters Jennifer (vocals, guitar) and Jessie Clavin (guitar, bass) knew things were going to be different for their sophomore album – not only had they managed to charm world-renowned producer and engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Elton John) and co-producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, YACHT) to join them and their bassist Micayla Grace in the studio, but Jen and Jessie had been crawling out of their own personal dramas. Jessie was evicted from her house and scrambling, while Jen ended a torrid, unhealthy romance. While emotionally spinning, she dove head first into music.
“I was a loose canon,” the commanding front woman says. “I was losing serious control of my personal and creative life. I was falling apart, trying to escape. I felt like Bleached was the only thing I actually cared about.”
Throughout the record, Bleached paints a frivolous picture of Los Angeles: the life of eye-rolling caused by dating men in bands, dirty Sunset Boulevard and futile drunken nights in a starstruck hole that made everyone from Charles Manson to Darby Crash to Marilyn Monroe stare up at the Hollywood sign for direction. Although a typical theme of ruined romance floats through the album, the real power is in Jen figuring out herself through lyrics so straight, identifiable and honest, a first for the girl who safely hid behind a cheeky misdemeanor.
“We don’t want perfection because it’s boring,” Jen declares. “We want to make music that’s as real as life.”
Watch the Lana Kim-directed video for debut single, “Keep On Keepin’ On,” which presents the essence of Welcome The Worms and Bleached’s newfound pop refinement. As described by The FADER, it’s “a sneering soundtrack to a souring relationship and a gentle reminder to keep on keepin’ on regardless.”
Bleached’s Welcome The Worms is available for pre-order now through Dead Oceans. It includes limited edition black/cream split colored vinyl, an original Bleached coloring book and Bleached patch. Bleached will tour as a four-piece all over North America this spring.
Pre-Order Welcome The Worms now:
via Dead Oceans // iTunes // Amazon // Support Your Local Indie Record Store
Welcome The Worms Tracklisting:
01. Keep On Keepin’ On
02. Trying To Lose Myself Again
03. Sleepwalking
04. Wednesday Night Melody
05. Wasted On You
06. Chemical Air
07. Sour Candy
08. Desolate Town
09. I’m All Over The Place (Mystic Mama)
10. Hollywood, We Did It All Wrong
Bleached Tour Dates:
(more info and tix here)
Tue. Mar. 15 – Sat. March 19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Tue. Mar. 29 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
Wed. Mar. 30 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Sat. Apr. 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Mon. Apr. 4 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder
Tue. Apr. 5 – Houston, TX @ Walter’s
Wed. Apr. 6 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
Fri. Apr. 8 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Sat. Apr. 9 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Mon. Apr. 11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Wed. Apr. 13 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Fri. Apr. 15 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Sat. Apr. 16 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz POB
Sun. Apr. 17 – Toronto, ON @ Garrison
Wed. Apr. 20 – Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness
Thu. Apr. 21 – Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
Fri. Apr. 22 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sat. Apr. 23 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Mon. Apr. 25 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Tue. Apr. 26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Thu. Apr. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Fri. Apr. 29 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Sat. Apr. 30 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
Mon. May 2 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Wed. May 4 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Thu. May 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Tue. May 17 – Manchester, UK @ Gulivers
Wed. May 18 – London, UK @ Moth Club
Thu. May 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Festival @ Horatios
Fri. May 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
Sat. May 21 – Eindhoven, NL @ Stroomhuis