Sometimes it seems like the art form that captures reality in the most accurate way possible is collage. Other forms are too neat; the chaos of life can’t be communicated through organized paragraphs or a stylish painting. Every day is a mishmash, too messy to be a mosaic. Asheville indie rockers Wednesday have mastered the art of collage-like songs, of music that’s like a junkyard full of precious relics. You get the sense that leader Karly Hartzman is a true artist’s artist, subconsciously collecting fodder for her creations and allowing a project to form on its own volition. Bleeds, out Friday, is another triumph from an undeniable band.
Along with Hartzman, Wednesday has MJ Lenderman on guitar, Xandy Chelmis on lap steel and pedal steel, Alan Miller on drums, and Ethan Baechtold on bass and piano. The title Bleeds comes from the explosive preface “Reality TV Argument Bleeds,” whose immediacy echoes that of 2023’s Rat Saw God opener “Hot Rotten Grass Smell.” It presumably gets its name from a line that goes, “Reality TV argument bleeds/ Through the floor when I go to sleep.” It captures what’s so special about Hartzman’s creative process — the way the 28-year-old can’t get a moment of quiet; there’s always something waking her up, encouraging her to write a song.
In Hartzman’s songs, everything bleeds together; her memories and fantasies leak into sensational news stories and anecdotes from friends. Emotions swing back and forth without coherence. On the lead single “Elderberry Wine,” Hartzman croons a rhyme about rolling a joint of mostly CBD and wanting to have a baby. Some of the most bemusing scenes on the record involve vomit in a Death Grips pit, a livestream of a funeral, and a boy who kills squirrels. For Hartzman, the poetic is in the absurd, the dirty. Even the first line of Bleeds begins with a rather gross yet romantic image: “Pickin’ the ticks off of you.”
Sonically, Bleeds finds Wednesday leaning into country twang on “Phish Pepsi” and experimenting with full-fledged hardcore on “Wasp.” As for the latter, Hartzman can scream; if she ever started a hardcore side project, it would be fucking awesome. Elsewhere, it’s nothing necessarily new; the riffs from “Bitter Everyday” sound identical to the ones on the Rat Saw God highlight “Bath County,” but the fuzzed-out anthem unexpectedly ends with a lo-fi, acoustic contemplation.
The intimate moments are memorable. “Carolina Murder Suicide” flexes Hartzman’s storytelling as she narrates a true-crime case in wispy lulls. The most interesting element is her perspective — the distance she has from the situation, which is somehow simultaneously close and far away. It floats around the same murky world as Rat Saw God’s “TV In The Gas Pump”; you can visualize a nearby gas station with a colorful screen glowing into the night as it all goes down. “The Way That Love Goes” is the ultimate tearjerker, a breakup ballad conveying a disappointment more in oneself than in the other person: “There’s women less spoiled by your knowing/ Newer and much sweeter/ Many much more patient/ With much more than I can give.” The collage-like texture of the rest of the LP amplifies the significance of this unguarded confession, making it hit even harder.
“Townies” is similarly candid. It’s one of Wednesday’s best songs, serving as a resonant portrait of the casual catastrophes of girlhood. Shot: “You sent my nudes around.” Chaser: “I never yelled at you about it/ ‘Cause you died.” She wails the last word, the guitars shrieking with the rebellion of youth and the ridiculousness of the situation. It’s rare that something as specific as having personal photos leaked is the topic of a song, and the result is incredibly cathartic, even fun.
Wednesday have done it again. For some, the everyday is a treasure trove; lucky for us, Hartzman is one of those people, and hopefully her inspiration remains infinite. It’s unsurprising that Wednesday are still kicking ass when their debut full-length, 2020’s I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone, was a phenomenal start. Writing about Rat Saw God upon its release, my colleague Chris DeVille asserted, “At this rate, Wednesday might end up as the greatest indie band of their generation.” This statement only gets truer with time.
Bleeds is out 9/19 via Dead Oceans.
