Supercrush by Blush

Deafeningly noisy guitars steal the pop hooks back from dreamy vocals, which act more as a synth pad than a guiding force. Simultaneously noisy and melodious, bright and sappy, catchy and novel, Supercrush by Blush unites the most potent pop elements of shoegaze, slowcore, and noise rock to create a record that won’t leave your weekly rotation anytime soon. Sure, Blush’s lyrics don’t exactly cut close to the bone, but the band’s vocals-as-instrument approach assures us that they never meant for their words to take center stage anyhow. Instead, each song focuses on a set of riffs that would have set radio waves on fire in the mid 90s, throwing all of the band’s energy behind these impressively well-produced instrumentals that give each song an instant memorable identity. By creating a distinctive sound that pulls as much from Beach House as it does from My Bloody Valentine, Blush avoids the status of a nostalgia act, illuminating a clear path forward for noise pop to come.