Blessed is a band that wants you to feel something, and it’s more in the scatterbrain composition of their songs than anything else. The gamut of emotions covered in their debut self-titled EP range from calm and at-ease to sympathetic, to hopeful, to panic-stricken, and everything in between, and it can change at the drop of a pin. The four songs are founded in punk, incorporating thick, thumping rhythm sections into creative, and creatively placed guitar leads. The compositions are unpredictable, but all characteristically pleasing, as on opener, “Waving Hand”, intricately weaving the unsettling sharpness of clear guitar tones with the calming, warm bath of reverb in the instruments and vocals. It’s an antiseptic immediately placed on an open wound, stinging yet beneficial.
“Cop” brings something invitingly poppy to the table, in its hectic arpeggios and prettily constructed chords, but, same as the last, it’s fickle in its composition, changing mood at any given moment. Sounds cut in and out and leave you in suspense, expecting the surprise bang of a horror movie, and it delivers. The rollercoaster continues, and is probably most prominent on “Repossess”, the tensions building in its hushes. Melodies are longing and pretty, surrounded by elements of melancholy and eerie harshness. When things quiet down and the guitar work is most intricate, the curiosity is ever building. When a chord is struck, it’s very much a kick in the teeth. The Vancouver quartet exits your life just a abruptly and effectively as it enters, leaving you to analyze and question every feeling felt over the course of the record, which is probably a lot.
Blessed’s self-titled EP will be self-released on May 20. You can stream it in full below, and scroll on for a list of upcoming Blessed tour dates.
Blessed tour dates:
May
10 Kelowna, BC @ Fernando’s
11 Revelstoke, BC @ The Drop
12 Calgary, AB @ Broken City
13 Edmonton, AB @ Clint’s House
14 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s
19 Winnipeg, MB @ Sad Boys Club
20 Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
21 Saulte Ste Marie, ON @ The New American
22 Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
23 London, ON @ Old East Bar
24 Brampton, ON
25 Hamilton, ON @ This Ain’t Hollywood
26 Guelph, ON @ DSTRCT
27 Toronto, ON @ The Central
28 Montreal, QB @ Poisson Noire
29 Fredericton, NB @ Charlotte Arts Center
31 Saint John, NB @ Callahan’s Pub w/ Casper Skulls
June
01 Moncton, NB @ Claude’s House w/ Casper Skulls
02 Charlottetown, PE @ Sportsman’s
03 Halifax, NS @ Gus’s Pub
04 Montreal, QC @ Bad Lunch
07 Peterborough, ON @ The Spill
08 Kingston, ON @ The Artel 100%
09 Ottawa, ON
10 Toronto, ON @ D Beatstro
11 Sudbury, ON @ The Asylum
13 Winnipeg, ON @ The Handsome Daughter
14 Saskastoon, SK @ Barf House
16 Lethbridge, AB
17 Calgary, AB
18 Edmonton, AB @ The Alley
24 Victoria, BC @ Wheelie’s Motorcycles
25 Nanaimo, BC @ The Vault
