Gouge Away reveal plans for third LP, present next single "Stuck In A Dream"

Gouge Away's third studio album, Deep Sage, took shape during sound checks and brief breaks between tours in 2019. Early in 2020, they demoed songs with Brok Mende in a storage unit in Orlando, FL. Drawing inspiration from their musical influences and a desire for urgency, noise, and introspective lyrics, the band used these demos as a foundation for the finished record.

In 2020, their plans were abruptly canceled, forcing Gouge Away into an unexpected hiatus. Dispersed across the country, the members focused on their personal lives, assuming the songs would never be released. However, the demos persisted as dormant files, occasionally revisited by the band.

Just before 2022, Gouge Away decided to resume work on Deep Sage in Portland, OR, they continued writing, generating an excess of material and refining both their trademark urgency and abrasive qualities, as well as expanding their melodic elements.

In March 2023, Gouge Away, under the guidance of Jack Shirley, entered Atomic Garden East to record Deep Sage entirely analog and mostly live. The band performed together in a live room, with vocalist Christina Michelle isolated in a booth, her vocals projected through a monitor. The aim was to capture the essence of five friends playing together, reminiscent of their Florida beginnings. The result is an unpolished, minimally produced record that embodies the core of Gouge Away's sound.

Michelle shared the following:

Recording live and to tape creates an intense environment where we have no choice but to feed off each other's energy. We have to get it right in one take and if anyone messes up we all have to start over, so no one wants to be that guy. It adds an element of risk and excitement. We don't want to sound beautifully polished or perfect anyway. We want to sound like the five of us being human, and no one is better than Jack Shirley when it comes to capturing what it feels like in the room.

Purchase Gouge Away's 2018 sophomore album Burnt Sugar here

Deep Sage track listing:
1. Stuck in a Dream
2. Maybe Blue
3. Idealized
4. Deep Sage
5. A Welcome Change
6. Overwatering
7. No Release
8. The Sharpening
9. Spaced out
10. Newtau
11. Dallas