The Bleachés (pronounced bleeshays) are a psych influenced, sun soaked five piece from Manchester who formed in 2016. The group formed after singer and guitarist Chloé moved to the UK from France met guitarist Adam. The pair began playing open mic nights together, blending a mix of covers and original songs. They then began to write and record before forming the band that went on to become The Bleachés.
Their debut EP Easter Island was released last May and has miraculously stayed under the radar, which when consider the quality of the music contained within, is somewhat of a miracle.
Opener ‘Balsa Boogie’ harnesses sounds of the sea to ease us into the swing of their laid-back surf rock sound, adding vocal harmonies before the drum beat takes things up a notch. The hazy vibrant countenance is a perfect introduction to their sound. ‘Shell Shaker’ starts off exactly as its name describes, with a smattering of a shaker and a catchy guitar riff and as it progresses hints of The Brian Jonestown Massacre shine through, especially in the added male vocals. The tracks energy is infectious and its easy to see why they have become a popular live band in the Manchester psych scene. ‘Dive’ adds some interesting elements in the form of a harmonica and the rawer percussion sound lends itself to the change of tempo.
‘Anamour’ ups the pace, with an edgy vocal style and a more pronounced guitar riff, with the French lyrics added an erotic air of mystery as the track progresses. ‘Missed You By A Week In Maui’ creates the perfect beachscape, all that’s missing is the cocktail before concluding track ‘Mary’ provides an uncut edge that shows a rawer side to the band that’s previously been hidden. It’s an intriguing track to end, hinting that there is more to this band than meets the eye.
In a heavily saturated psych scene The Bleachés are a breath of fresh air.
