by Jason

Blushing is an Austin, Texas-based band made up of Christina Carmona (vox, bass), Michelle Soto (guitar, vox), Noe Carmona (guitar, keyboards), and Jake Soto (drums). They formed in the summer of 2015 and are releasing their first EP entitled Tether. It’s four songs of shoegaze bliss that were mixed and mastered by Philip Odom at Bad Wolf Recordings. The EP is four songs of Lush influenced tunes with an excellent pop songwriting sensibility.

The EP begins with the titular track “Tether”. Right from the first chord, you know you are in for a blissed-out treat. The guitars shimmer and sparkle as bass and drum move through the speakers at a leisurely pace. Carmona’s vocals are beautiful and ethereal. The bridge is raucous, with fuzzed out guitars, aggressive bass, and driving drums. It eventually fades into a shimmering wall of sound. Blushing delivers a beautiful track here that is emotive and, lyrically, relationally centered. “Why Can’t We?” begins with the same shimmering guitar but the drums and bass gallop into the speakers to punctuate the spacey all of sound. The song is tom-heavy with these gorgeous “oohs” and “aahs” throughout the bridge that really remind me of Viva Voce in so many ways. Even the guitar tones and song structure remind me what Viva Voce did on The Heat Can Melt Your Brain.

“Mess” is slow, patient, and dreamy. The vocals are slightly quieter and sitting a bit further in the mix as guitars are strummed over them, creating a river of sound for them to float through. This is the longest track on the EP, clocking in at 6:04. It’s a gorgeous long-form piece with the band playing with various forms and structures around a beautiful set of melodic phrases. “Protect You” begins with a sort of wailing synth with dreamy guitar picked in the right speaker. The bass comes in playing a rather ominous line. There is a lot of fuzz out aggression, with open high-hat adding to the wall of sound. The track shows the band’s ability to switch gears in terms of the tone of their songs. A great finish to Tether.

EP’s are often wonderful because they highlight the best of a band’s group of songs in a very compact way. However, if an ep has done its job, it leaves the listener wanting a whole lot more. Blushing has done just that with Tether. Tether is four songs that have the listener begging for more by the time the EP is finished. Here’s hoping we get to hear a full album soon!