The urgency of Gouge Away’s third LP is relevant to here and now – even though it was conceived five years ago.
During spare moments and between sound checks, Fort Lauderdale’s Gouge Away had started writing songs for their third album Deep Sage back in 2019, piecing together bits of nostalgia with the weight and rawness of their collective introspection. They recorded demos in a storage unit in Orlando and were looking forward to getting everything into a studio.
Of course, 2020 comes along and brings the world to a grinding halt. The band members went their separate ways for a bit, but kept revisiting the tracks before eventually reconnecting in Portland, OR to finish writing the album in 2022. Recorded live the following year at Atomic Garden East with engineer/producer Jack Shirley in the Bay Area, Deep Sage was feeling as fresh and relevant as ever, illuminating the band’s visceral live energy and Christina Michelle’s vocal intensity – all of it unpolished to imperfection.
Gouge Away is in Austin for a show tonight at Empire Control Room on E. 7th. Doors at 7:30 p.m., with California hardcore outfit Initiate and Rancho Cucamonga dream pop/post-rockers Cold Gawd on the bill.
