“The Fires” is taken from Blushing‘s upcoming album, Possessions, out on February 18 via Kanine Records.

Blushing are a special band – a four-piece hailing from Austin that sounds more like early-90s England than whatever Texas is supposed to sound like. Back in 2019, Blushing put out their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. It was a shoegaze record that relied on noisy climaxes, the songs building up to spectacular resolutions. Now, they have announced Possessions, their second album.

Despite their noisy credentials, melody is Blushing‘s main calling card. A few months, they released “Sour Punch”, a loud-but-sunny dream pop tune not unlike Alvvays‘s best accomplishments.

Now, they’re following up “Sour Punch” with a wildly different song titled “The Fires”. Moody and dark, the track is marked by heavy usage of guitar tremolo, establishing a firm link between Blushing and the original 90s shoegazers. In fact, the whole album has been mastered by Mark Gardener, co-leader of shoegaze trailblazers Ride.

Coloured only by an underlying guitar line growing under the verses, “The Fires” remains a sober affair for most of its running time. However, that soberness is a mere disguise. As with the best songs on their debut album, “The Fires” slowly builds up to a grand finale, closing things off with a thundering wall of electric guitar.