Wynona Bleach are an Alternative-Rock Belfast band formed in 2018 and they recently released their sophomore album Animal Style in May this year. Their album experiments with different elements, genres and styles of music. Each tune is unique and each is equally as interesting as the other!
‘Be Positive’ has Smashing Pumpkins “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” feel to it, more rock and very little shoe-gaze-y than the other songs on their album. The overlapping of vocals is a beautiful addition to this tune and James Foy’s drums are a stand-out, enhancing the overall feel and impact of the track.
My initial attention was incredibly drawn to Melyssa Shannon’s fabulous vocal work throughout the album. Melyssa’s vocals have such intentional narrative phrasing, with every line and word sang being emotionally charged and having full investment in the meaning behind each separate lyric. There is such a gorgeous purity to her vocals, alongside having such a clean and sharp tone, in addition to the perfect nuances throughout! There is such a subtle yet haunting touch to her vocals that scratch the surface of my mind in such a phenomenal sense!
‘Religion’ is slightly more fast-paced than the other tracks on the album. Their chord choices from the verse into the chorus increasingly boost the overall vibe of the track. Jonny Woods’ arpeggio guitar part over the chorus is extremely satisfying and really helps the shape. The drop-out of all the other instruments to just Carl Gilmore’s bass and the drums half-way through the song infuses a mood of apprehension. When the spoken dialogue begins, this boosts the energy of the overall song and anticipates the powerful guitar instrumental part, and then Melyssa top-lines the guitar with the decorative chorus melody to end the song!
On reflection, the standout from the record has to be ‘Not Cool With It’. Not Cool With It is slightly more pop influenced than their other songs, and the overall vibe is if Bikini Kill met The Smashing Pumpkins and they created a single. The entire chorus got stuck in my head for days, particularly the repeated phrase of “but I’m really not cool with it, oh no!”.
Animal Style marks the next iteration of Wynona Bleach. They retain that intensity and knack for catchy grunge infused rock but aren’t afraid to broaden their sonic palette and experiment too. A worthy follow up to their debut album that leaves us intrigued for more.
