Julian Laws
A Popular Music (Falmouth University) graduate currently based just outside of Bristol. A voracious reader, meticulous Letterboxd reviewer and lover of all things music. Consistently championing often ignored upcoming artists from Cornwall and the South West music scene to show what amazing talent can be found outside of the big cities!
‘Cannonball’ is the latest track from Bleech 9:3 and provides a dose of midwest emo, as it grapples with love as a form of worship.
Out via RA – RA records, ‘Cannonball‘, was teased as early as August last year on the bands first Instagram post. A stripped down acoustic of what would become the finalised single, released on Monday 19th January 2025, had fans of the band anticipating the inevitable release of this single that really punches you in the gut, like a cannonball.
There seems to be an influx of discordant riffs in the music scene, at the minute. Indie / alt bands, such as Bleech 9:3, wilt, Basht., Gurriers and Hudson Freeman are all weaving elements of midwest emo in to their work . These riffs hold such an underlying rage, with each bend hypnotising you in further. Despite the cacophony it produces – with its the sharp edges, and ringing of metallic clangour – the riffs in ‘Cannonball‘ beg the listener to listen further, to get to the root of the song and be moved by it.
‘Cannonball‘ is about worship in the form of a lover – ‘I bring you out to fill the sky’- and how that makes love into something completely different, something scary, something you cannot live without. The band’s founding members Barry Quinlan and Sam Duffy wrote the track in their garden during ‘recovery related work’; both in recovery, the single aches with a longing and a sorrow that is rooted in the anger experienced from being in love, by letting it envelop you and control you, much like addiction.
Bleech 9:3 have slowly started to gain traction from their singles, such as ‘Ceiling’, ‘Jacky‘ and their impassioned live shows that have been doing the rounds on Instagram and TikTok. For anyone who is fan of accentuated crashes splashing back forth, discordant riffs that make your skin crawl that moan with each bar, and enraged vocals and screeching guitars to support them then Bleech 9:3 is for you.
Listen to ‘Cannonball‘ here:
Catch Bleech 9:3 at the following:
30th Jan – Yes Basement – Manchester
31st Jan – So Young Weekender – Papillon, Southampton
23rd – 24th May – Dot to Dot Festival
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