With a chugging beat and memorable set of chord progressions throughout, ‘Disowned’, the new single from Wet Ashes, becomes a part of the listener with a uniqueness of true musicians and a resurgence of originality with roots embedded in the likes of The Smithereens, The Replacements, and any other of the bands that were the alternative when alternative was postmodern. Wet Ashes, to me, sound like the intelligent songwriters that the music world needs desperately nowadays by subtly delivering a powerful and memorable track that rings in the mind long after that initial hearing.
‘The Main Mane’, the upcoming album from Wet Ashes featuring ‘Disowned’, drops October 19th, 2018 (links below).
About Wet Ashes
Wet Ashes is a rock band with influences ranging from Post Punk, Brit Rock, New Wave to Shoegaze. Their new Album “The Main Mane” draws upon similar inspirations but in comparison with their previous albums, the composition is more mature and the arrangements and sound layers are much richer. Vocalist Angel Soto, requested Yuri Gonzalez, the Bass Player, to produce the new Album. Yuri sought to add an elegant frame to the new songs and he proved to have a bag full of tricks. He employed the 90’s post-punk revival uses of strings, infusing mystery and tension into songs, particularly in “Caves” but “Delirium” and “Interlude” also have this classy touch. Another key decision was to invite Cesar Gudino to co-produce the album which was recorded at Cesar’s Get Loud Studio. Cesar, a keyboard player who is well known for his electronic soundscapes, was the perfect person to revive Wet Ashes electronic rock beginnings. Cesar’s talented hand is heard in “Long Wait” with thick synth bass and sumptuous lead keys that hold the piece together from beginning to end.
The band’s beginning reaches back to 2010, when Angel Soto presented a few of his compositions to Raul “Picho” Torres, a percussionist and producer based in Guadalajara, Mexico. From this good chemistry, Picho produced Wet Ashes’ first album. The natural flow of the music motivated their first album to keep despite challenges of a long-distance project with Angel living in the U.S. and Picho in Mexico. Picho programmed beats, played drums, synths and hypnotic guitar riffs along with Angel’s vocals and guitar. The resulting sound was so fresh and unique that it compelled them to assemble a band. Picho invited the renowned bass player Yuri Gonzalez to collaborate and the songs suddenly reached another dimension. The fusion of vintage rock with electronica and Angel’s crafty lyrics fired up a very interesting EP titled “You’ll Say Yeah!”; released in June of 2010 with 6 tracks. Some of this EP’s key tracks are: “The Mouse” a raw and powerful rock song with introspective and honest lyrics, and “Phony”, an explosion out of the speakers, dripping menace and covered in hooks.
Wet Ashes are:
Angel Soto: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Yuri Gonzalez: Bass, Guitars, Programmed Beats
Shaboomy Lozano: Lead Guitar
Dany Aceves: Drums, Percussion
Drums
Wet Ashes’ first full album, “Acoustronic Tales”, had the novelty of a new member in the band, Shaboomy Lozano, a very talented guitar player. His guitar sound took the band to another level. In this album, the band reinvented themselves with songs like “Nine”, which features a sparse electronic percussion track with lush keys and arpeggiated guitars, all framing Soto’s lovelorn tale of woe and remorse.
Another fresh component to the new album “The Main Mane” is the addition of Danny Aceves on drums and elaborate percussions by Picho. Creative percussion arrangements are at its best on “Battles Along the Way”, “Interlude” and “Old Shadows”. Picho also shared a personal composition in this album, “On My Own”, for which Angel wrote the lyrics. Another bold production move was the use of wind instruments for the epic final part of this song. Danny’s drum fills, reminiscent of David Grohl, propel the songs to an audio climax seen in songs like “Disowned”, the opening track of the album. “Disowned”, “Interlude” and “Gone Awry” are original compositions from Yuri with Angel’s vocal composition.
“The Main Mane” is their fuller album in terms of guitar layers with Shaboomy and Yuri playing multiple parts in several songs. “Interlude” has a folky 12-string guitar played by Yuri. The special appearance of Aldo Munoz, a guitar guru from Mexico added unique and precise strumming that can be heard in the Radio Head style arrangements in “Delirium” or in the nerve-wrecking chords in “Long Wait”. Finally, Shaboomy and Yuri show they can be experimental and raw with their guitar instrumental in “Old Shadows.”
@WET_ASHES [rotatingtweets screen_name=’WET_ASHES’]The band grew strong and kept honing their emotive and unique sound between California and Guadalajara, pulling together various influences to create a cohesive whole. They brave the distance in order to maintain the band’s undeniable chemistry. Their first single and video “Battles Along the Way” will surprise audiences with a warm and dreamy sound not typical of the band. The video will be launched in September 2018 and the album is planned for October 2018. Also keep an eye for their live session where they played 4 of the new album songs with guest collaborators in the album recording, such as Ceci Torres and Saul Ledesma among others.
SOURCE: Official Bio
“There is something traditional about their music, but at the same time it holds an almost danceable groove and takes in elements of US alt-rock, the UK guitar-pop scene, as well as glimmers of psychedelia and an experimental leaning.”
—The Sound of Confusion“In the debut full-length, international band Wet Ashes have reinvented themselves. Though their time is split between Chicago and Guadalajara, Mexico, they’ve managed to focus up and become more determined than ever. The new single “Spot In The Sun” is a great representation of that. The track showcases the quartet’s ability to effortlessly and seamlessly blend genre after genre, touching on everything from post-punk to Brit rock or shoegaze. “Spot In The Sun” is equal parts classic psychedelia and contemporary dance-rock, with some impressive guitar manipulation from Lozano pushing the song over the top.”
– Totally Fuzz“Bilingual lyrical ragamuffins Wet Ashes combine the shoe-scuffing melancholy of 80s Britpop with more upbeat guitar riffage to bring to life memorable tunes which sink their hooks into your tiny mind in the blink of an eye.”
—Itcher Magazine
LINKS:
http://www.wetashes.com
https://www.facebook.com/wetashes
https://twitter.com/WET_ASHES
https://www.instagram.com/wetashes
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6oa1VlHHH1CsfKEJGu6Fw4
