Wednesday - Bleeds (Album Review)

Hey, guys. I’ve gathered you all here to tell you about a new album I’ve really been loving lately: Bleeds by Wednesday.

Album cover design by Kamila Mlynarczyk

The album opens with a bang. Track one, “Reality TV Argument Bleeds” is one of the wildest and most powerful songs Wednesday has ever put out. MJ Lenderman’s guitar sounds caked in mud. The drums crash and roll, and above all the noise floats Karly Hartzman’s pop melody. It kicks so hard, and then it’s over, and the mood changes immediately. “Townies”, another incredible song, follows things up with a strange mix of nostalgia and gothic, harsh realism. Wednesday’s lyrics have never shied away from the darker aspects of small-town life, but this song is an especially stark reckoning with the confused emotions of the past. 

The most lighthearted and unabashedly sweet moment of Bleeds comes with “Elderberry Wine”, a lazy country song complete with slide guitars that’d suit George Strait and optimistic lyrics. It’s just a great song. No complaints on my behalf. “Phish Pepsi” keeps things light while helping to solidify the emotional straightforwardness that makes this album so great. If there's a lyrical theme to this album, it’s storytelling; nearly every song on the album presents a narrative from the past, either fictional or seemingly personal to the singer– the distinction doesn’t seem to matter much, since the fabrication is as honest as the truth. Singer Karly Hartzman has demonstrated her narrative talents before in songs like “Quarry”, but never have her stories felt so sincere, so striking, and clear-eyed as they do here. 

Maybe my personal favorite song on Bleeds, and my second favorite by Wednesday (behind “Bull Believer”, good lord, is that song beautiful), is “Candy Breath”. It’s just so powerful, with a perfect blend of chaotic noise and inviting melody. There’s something about the verses that reminds me of post-punk bands like Unwound or Wire, but it's balanced with Wednesday’s signature, perfectly performed, semi-sweet and semi-apocalyptic alt-country. 

The second half of Bleeds gets wild. “Wasp” might be the heaviest song the band has ever put out, and “Bitter Everyday” is killer, too. The lyrics are sensual and evocative and the whiny lead guitars give it a really great edge. The deep, dark funeral dirge “Carolina Murder Suicide”, about the horrific criminal end of a “squirrel-killing boy who picked at splinters with a pocket knife”, is one of Hartzman’s strongest and most heartbreaking moments as a storyteller. The music provides such a haunting backdrop, as well. And finally, the album wraps up with Gary’s II, a quaint and gorgeous country ballad. I couldn’t think of a better ending.

Basically, Bleeds is great. I love this album more and more every time I hear it. Every single song is great, and overall it feels like more than the sum of its parts. After Hartzman and guitarist MJ Lenderman ended their relationship in 2024, lots of fans wondered about the future of the band. But this time around, they sound more in-sync than ever, and they’ve made a genuinely stunning album.