We first heard from Mary Bleeds in March, upon the release of the live in-studio performance video of their song “Seal.” That brooding and meditative track introduced us to this Dublin group’s experimental and lyrical sound which blends Grunge and Post-Punk power with dark psychedelia. “Seal” also worked as a teaser of the band’s eponymous debut album, and a view into their fully organic and analog recording process.

With famed analog recording producer and engineer Julie McLarnon (The Vaselines, Jeffrey Lewis, Lankum) at the helm, Mary Bleeds spent one weekend last December in the studio, tracking their entire debut album live to tape. It is a process practically unheard of in our modern era of digital recording, mixing, mastering and distribution. In keeping with that Analog aesthetic, the band has also released the album on Bandcamp in a limited pressing of 300 vinyl discs.

Thanks both to the recording process and a shared musical and lyrical theme throughout, the “Mary Bleeds” album flows perfectly as a cohesive whole. Lead vocalist and lyricist Guilherme comes from the great history of Rock vocalists who use their music as a platform for deeper, and often darker explorations of the human psyche. From Jim Morrison to Iggy Pop, Kate Bush to Gerard Way; Rock & Roll’s poets/singers have taken their music into some philosophically complex and psychologically dark corners. On their new album, Mary Bleeds uses that platform to explore the deep recesses of childhood memory and Catholicism-induced trauma.

The record opens with the band’s first single “Riddle.” After a meditative bass/vocal first half the song shifts into uptempo rocker. Bassist Leticia Ledoux and guitarist Paolo churn out a dose of Punk as Guilherme channels his inner Glenn Danzig. “Rapture” lends a little bit of Surf Rock into the mix. “Mary” follows with a quick blast of distorted bass driven rock.

On both “Howl” and “Salt” the band digs deep into the Goth and Dark Wave sounds of 80’s bands like Bauhaus and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The latter track riffs on the biblical tale of Lot’s wife who is turned to a pillar of salt for defying God and peering at the destruction of Sodom. “City of Wonders” kicks back into a grungy Punk/Metal mode in a groove that sounds a bit like The Stooges covering a Black Sabbath song, and everything about that is awesome.

“Blue Spirit” and “Seal” each take their turns back into a Goth mood while also introducing elements of Garage and Classic Rock. The album ends on the cryptic but melodic bonus track “Denial,” a guitar/vocal duet that brings to mind some of Alice in Chains’ mellower stuff.

Mary Bleeds’ debut album is a powerful introduction to an exciting new band with a multi-layered sound and complex psychological dynamic. Watch the “Seal” video below. You can also hear the track “Riddle” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Mary Bleeds. Get on their socials and get in the loop on everything this dynamic young band has in store for the future. - Static Dive

If you’ve always preferred the darker side of post-punk, slip into the phantasmal furore in Dublin-based alt-rock outfit Mary Bleeds’ latest single, ‘Seal’.

Living in Manchester, I’m no stranger to post-punk revivals, but Mary Bleeds succeed in stamping down their signature style and despondency with an unassimilated level of cool. With nods to John Dwyer in the guitar work, hints of the Cramps’ salacious swagger and a touch of Bauhaus, Poison Ivy and Glen Branca in the production and vocals, it’s a full-frontal exhibition that will still leave you eager to see even more.

With their debut album, produced & engineered by Julie McLarnon (Vaselines, Lankum), due for release digitally and on vinyl on May 30th, Mary Bleeds aren’t just ones to watch; they are one to add to your record collection.

The album is available to pre-order via their official website.

You can check out the live recording of Seal via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast - Amelia Vandergast

Mary Bleeds is a new Alternative Rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland with an alchemical sound that mixes the dark psychological drama of Grunge with Classic Rock psychedelia and a modern Indie aesthetic. Their self-titled debut album is due to be released on May 31, 2021.

For one weekend this winter the band holed up in the studio, plugged in their amps and hit record. The new album was recorded live to analog tape between December 18th and 19th. UK producer and engineer Julie McLarnon was at the helm. As a document of that process, and as a teaser for the upcoming album, the band has released a mesmerizing new live performance video of their song “Seal.”

The track opens with a Nirvana meets U2, rumbling, percussive bass and drum rhythm. Leticia Ledoux’s bass remains the heartbeat of the song throughout the track. An electric guitar flows into the mix with ever increasingly psychedelic vibes. Guitarist Paolo weaves together Andy Summers-style delay effects, Hendrix blues bends and Jimmy Page “Dazed And Confused” freakouts for a wildly trippy sound.

As the band rolls on that ethereal groove, vocalist Guilherme delivers a dark meditation on psychological cruelty and the trauma of growing up in fear of God, religion and the adults responsible for the torment. In both tone and composition, his poetic stream of consciousness narrative of biblical imagery and disturbed childhood memory lands stylistically somewhere between David Byrne and Jim Morrison. Ultimately the song builds to an emotional pinnacle as the singer’s story devolves into a Cobain-like repetitive howl of the word, “deprived!” It is hypnotic.

Watch the excellent live video “Seal” below. You can also hear the band’s recent single “Riddle” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Mary Bleeds and get ready for their debut album. Head over to Bandcamp now to be one of the 300 lucky fans who will pre-order a copy of the record on vinyl. - Bob Smith

Dublin's Mary Bleeds stir up a dark atmosphere, exorcise something from the toxic manifestos of religion on "Seal". It is a brooding wail of heavy post punk. Throttling bass triggers while drum fills and dominant downbeats perpetuate simmering and exploding fury as guitar sustains scream creating a haze for Guilherme's vocal utterings, hushed and growling. - Robb Donker Curtius