Psychedelic and cerebral, Dublin’s Mary Bleeds unfurls their fascinating, primal self-titled debut album upon the world. With this brilliant release, the enigmatic and heavily charged Mary Bleeds explore themes of patriarchy, misogyny, and religious brainwashing via aural channels echoing Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, the Virgin Prunes, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Birthday Party, and Joy Division. In keeping with their sonic influences, the album was recorded live to analogue tape, which gives them that sonic je ne sais quoi. You don’t know WHEN they were recorded – they certainly sound like a fuzzy memory in a smoky, dark club: the discovery that the band is barely two years old makes their sound even more astonishing.
Delving deeply into the psychological traumas of Catholic theocracy, Mary Bleeds exorcises long-buried demons with explosive poetry channeling, hurtling, through Guilherme’s deep, emotional voice. This is an album of rage, contemplation, meditation, and unblocking the long-damaged root chakra.
The members of Mary Bleeds created much of their own visual aesthetic themselves, from artwork to video editing. Additional collaborators include photographers Jean-Philippe Hofmann, Ewa Pypno, and Michelle Maros, creating a fitting air of mystery around the outfit. Mary Bleeds converged in 2019 in Dublin, Ireland from the ashes of vocalist Guilherme and guitarist Paulo’s former project, Eça. The band found completion when their friend Leticia Ledoux joined them on bass.
On December 18th and 19th of 2020, after a year of near-constant pandemic challenges, Mary Bleeds persevered and recorded the album at Analogue Catalogue studio in Northern Ireland. With producer, engineer and analog recording advocate Julie McLarnon at the helm, the warm analogue sound of the recording perfectly captures the energy and nuance of the band’s powerfully emotional live in-studio performance.
Listen to the standout track, Rapture:
The debut album from Mary Bleeds will be available May 31st, 2021. 300 limited edition black 180g vinyl are available for presale via Bandcamp. Follow the band on their socials and their website, MaryBleeds.com for updates, news, and events.
Preorder is also available through Rough Trade here. Streaming on Bandcamp to be announced in the future.
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