Welcome the Worms

It's strong all the way through, and it'll make you wish there were more than ten short tracks.

Though the album loses some momentum as it winds down, it never feels aimless. Whether it was their exodus from the city, pent-up frustrations, or a combination, they have come back renewed, with a sense of energy that suits them well as they step in a forceful direction.

In the end, the repeated invocation of booze, drugs and sugar betrays a semi-permanence, with Welcome The Worms feeling like more of a quick fix despite some effective catharsis, and it’s disappointing that a band held in high esteem for their live energy have yet to fully realise that on record. That doesn’t dull the album’s instant charm, however.

Bleached don’t really break away from the tried-and-true pop-rock template here. When it’s done quite this energetically, though, it’s hard to care--especially when the sense of catharsis is so palpable.

As its title suggests, Welcome the Worms is a portrait of embracing life's changes and challenges and growing stronger in the process.

Bleached's songs get that job done pretty well too.

Together with bassist Micayla Grace, their second album is an all-round punkier, slicker, catchier and heavier affair.

While not a record of cast-iron slam dunks, Welcome the Worms possesses enough raw power to cast Bleached in a completely different light, and one that is considerably more sustainable than their debut.

For the most part, Bleached’s style of rock and roll is best suited to short, vicious tracks that get in, chug a beer, high-five the host, then get out. Welcome The Worms loses some its punch strictly because of its runtime. It’s not long for an album, but it’s long for this kind of album.

While retaining much of the melodic sensibility that is their greatest strength, the other factors that helped make their debut extraordinary are in shorter supply here.

Listeners will likely feel as though they've heard much of this stuff before and, while not of it is bad, that sensation does not exactly make for a compelling listen.

All too often Welcome The Worms lacks the bite that’d make it Very Good Indeed

Their songs are both catchy and as casual as a shoulder shrug, but you just wish those worms had dug a little deeper.

The fire dies down as the album progresses, but the infectious melodies remain. [May 2016, p.104]

Welcome the Worms lacks an awareness as to how lethargic it can be. Its lack of energy can demonstrate how tiring life is, but it can bring discomfort to an audience that might want to rock to a devil-may-care attitude.