#175 - Gouge Away (Christina Michelle)

Behind the Vinyl

I’m going to take you back to about a year ago. It was February of 2023 and Gouge Away was in the midst of a return. This was after several years of staying relatively quiet and a behind the scenes breakup. Gouge Away was in Portland having a band practice when they reached out to Militarie Gun about showing up to watch them play on a kick-ass bill of Spiritual Cramp and Supercrush. Ian Shelton and the rest of the members of Militarie Gun had other plans for the night. After some convincing, they set up plans for Gouge Away to make an epic return. In the middle of their set they turned the spotlight over to Gouge Away, who came on the stage to play two songs (One new). It was a night to remember and got the ball rolling for the new music that Gouge Away planned to eventually release. "Idealized" came out shortly after, and the band released "Stuck in a Dream" on January 9. This is setting the table for Deep Sage to arrive on March 15. It’s a record that Christina Michelle says will be different, and at times “weird,” but if the first two songs tell us anything: it’s that Gouge Away hasn’t lost a step. This group is ready to not only break through the surface, but also become one of the premier hardcore bands. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the group. They released Burnt Sugar in 2018 and toured non-stop up until the pandemic. Then came the low-key breakup where Christina Michelle never thought the band would be together again. Now, the band is back, with a refreshed sound, a mature outlook, and ready to show the world that they are here to stay.

Gouge Away: Website - https://www.gougeaway.com/ Bandcamp - https://gougeawayfl.bandcamp.com/album/deep-sage