Bong Wish

I talked a little bit about singles from this excellent debut from Boston’s Bong Wish a while back, but it’s absolutely worth digging deeper into the record. The band has evolved quite steadily from their debut EP, out in 2017 on beloved indie Beyond Beyond is Beyond (RIP), but the core tenants that songwriter Mariam Saleh introduced on that brief record remain rooted in the DNA of Hazy Road. There’s a fogged ripple of Anglican folk at the heart of Bong Wish’s sound, growing a full quiver of songs out of the energy that erupts post-dam break in “A Sailor’s Life.” Saleh, along with standout support on strings from Kassie Carlson, turns the record into a topographical exploration of folk and psych pop, rooted in records from Perhacs, Trees, and Susan Christie, yet leaving behind the whimsy for a more polychromatic punch.

The record’s use of rhythm is one of it’s greatest charms, eschewing the often obvious impulses of psych-pop to veer towards the Germanic motor, and instead injecting in insistent pace that thrums through the senses with more of a nod towards Twin/Tone-era Pere Ubu than Guru Guru. Live, the band are absolutely unmissable, and catching them the other night, they kept pace quite nicely with Rose City Band, who are operating at the top of the cosmic arcana these days. Saleh’s proper debut has been a long time coming, but every ounce of Hazy Road was worth the wait — seek it out and sink in.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.