by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
With the onslaught of Wipes’ full length debut coming in just a few weeks, you can’t say the Eastern PA band hasn’t thoroughly prepared us. With three singles from Making Friends and a recently released split with Day Job out in the world, our introduction to their sludgy grunge has been cemented. From the ashes of Allentown’s long running noise rock trio Tile, Ray Gurz (bass, vocals) and Michael Dumoff (drums) push ahead as Wipes, with longtime engineer Matt Molchany (guitar) joining the fold. Due out on November 4th via Hex Records (Still/Form, Multicult, Child Bite), Making Friends’ is dense and well… unfriendly music, revolving around deep low end, a primal sense of dread, and harsh rhythmic fury. They teeter between noise rock and grunge in a way similar to Helmet or Unsane, bulking up their scourge with sustaining melodies, effectively loosening the tension at times.
“Scavenger Hunt,” the album’s finale, is the last pre-release single, a song carries with it the weight of the record, pulling it deep into sludgy territory. It’s a grand way to close out the effort, with all the brute force packed into impenetrable mass, one last crushing wash of overdriven guitars and the heavy thud of the bass and drums, but the band push a hidden melody toward it’s crescendo, adding a punchy dissonance that upends the gloom, at least subtly.
Catch the band on tour next week, all dates below.
Upcoming Shows:
10/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
10/26 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
10/27 - New Haven, CT @ The State House
10/28 - Troy, NY @ Troy Speakeasy
10/29 - Buffalo, NY @ Milkie's on Elmwood
10/30 - Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Currie Donuts