Blind Girls’ latest release, “An Exit Exists“, has hit the shelves earlier this month, launched through Persistent Vision Records with an exclusive vinyl edition available via Secret Voice, the label helmed by Touché Amoré’s frontman, Jeremy Bolm.
Hailing from the sun-kissed shores of Gold Coast, Australia, this quintet unleashes a storm of dark, chaotic, and cathartic hardcore. Their sound, a relentless barrage of intensity, is accentuated by Sharni Brouwer’s visceral screams, which channel the raw emotions of her experiences with abusive relationships.
As expected, “An Exit Exists“, written during and after these harrowing episodes, serves as an emotional catharsis. Brouwer reflects on her journey through realization, feeling trapped, guilt, defeat, acceptance, and ultimately finding a safe way out.
Their fusion of hardcore, screamo, and emoviolence, is a representation of these tumultuous feelings, designed to hit listeners with unrelenting force.
With two previous LPs under their belt, along with three EPs and a split, Blind Girls have been honing their craft for a decade. Their rigorous touring history includes stints in Australia alongside LA DISPUTE and MILITARIE GUN, as well as numerous tours across the US, Canada, and Japan. The current US tour, kicking off tonight in Seattle, spans coast-to-coast and features notable acts such as FRAIL BODY, GREAT FALLS, HEAVENLY BLUE, NØ MAN, PAGENINETYNINE, QUIET FEAR, LAGRIMAS, and RAEIN. See the full list of dates below.
A significant evolution in “An Exit Exists” is the addition of guitarist Luke Sweeney, whose fresh perspective has been integral from the album’s inception. Sweeney’s influence, combined with the contributions of the other members – guitarist Julian Currie, bassist Mark Grant, and drummer Ben Smith – has resulted in a collaborative effort that brings new dynamism to their sound.
The album draws inspiration from a wide array of influences, including screamo legends PAGENINETYNINE, mathcore icons BOTCH, and contemporaries like HEAVENLY BLUE, who will be joining Blind Girls on their summer US tour. Each track on the album is a testament to the band’s ability to weave intricate, emotionally charged compositions that resonate deeply with their listeners.
To delve deeper into the essence of this album, we invite you to explore the track-by-track breakdown provided by the band, offering insights into their creative process and the emotions that shaped each song.
“It’s nice to be able to express and release traumas through these songs. I’d rather not delve too far into the meaning, I feel like they speak for themselves.” – commented vocalist Sharni Brouwer.
The other members – guitarist Julian Currie, guitarist Luke Sweeney, bassist Mark grant, and drummer Ben Smith – teamed up and gave their thoughts on the music:
Dissonance
Ben: This track was pretty much a bunch of riffs that Julian brought to jams, all sequenced together as we progressed, weaving each section together. It was pretty natural and I remember feeling pretty excited especially once we got it finished because it kinda just had a lot of similar sections to what we’d usually do, say on previous records, but I feel like we just nailed the execution a little better.
I was able to steal a drum fill I’ve frothed since a young teen from the Boost Mobile Travis Barker ad. It’s always hella fun going from the more tech section at the end of the track into the break down for the outro.
Loveless
Mark: Luke originally had a demo recording of this song, the tempo was a tad faster. We jammed it as a band and slowed the tempo down a little to make it more stompy/head-nodding. We enjoy bringing back the intro section in the outro, but more heavier and noisier. It’s cool the way Ben plays his drums in this track.
There are minimal drums in the intro version of the main part but then a full beat in the outro version of the same riff. To me it shows how much a drum beat can add to the song, especially when it’s played by someone with chops like Ben. Middle section has shreddy guitars that to me sounds like Converge.
Blemished Memory
Luke: I’ve always had a hard time writing songs that repeat sections or follow a more traditional structure and I’ve also always been a big fan of songs that suddenly and drastically change their direction.
This song was really about embracing those two things and writing a song that is constantly on the move and keeps you guessing on where it’s about to go. A fast opening, a heavy middle, and ends with potentially the slowest and quietest section BGs have ever done.
Less Than Three
Luke: This song came out of a desire to write something that had a lot of atmosphere and sections that let you sit in them for longer than we normally have in the past. It’s always very refreshing to mix up your songwriting style and in this instance it resulted in one of my favourite tracks off the album.
I still remember how perfectly the clean section came together when Julian, Sharni and Mark brought in their parts for the section. Julian’s complementary guitar chords, Sharni’s softer vocal style and Mark’s very catchy bass line, really elevated that section and made it a truly special part of the album.
Make Me Nothing
Luke: I remember being extremely apprehensive to send this demo when I first wrote it because it felt so different from anything I had heard from BGs prior to me joining. It didn’t help that when we first jammed the song it sounded quite different live than it did as a demo.
But we kept it around just because it was so different from the other songs and when Mark had the idea to add the whispers during that middle section I was so glad we stuck with the song. I think it adds a nice flavour to the album and is now one of my favourites.
Pallid Mask
Julian: Pallid Mask was an interlude I wrote. Generally my songs come from short musical ideas where I try to apply something I’m learning. Pallid Mask came from trying to write something akin to a lullaby using spread chord voicings on the rhythm part with dissonance in the arpeggiating second guitar parts. I wanted the parts to feel distant and obscured under a nice blanket of warm noise.
Closer to Hell
Mark: Luke came in with this song idea and he had a pretty well mapped out part for the middle section. It’s a “bass moment” on the record for sure. I like that the bass riff in the middle section leaves space, holds interest and flows and builds with the guitar and drums with both notes and rhythm. It’s a unique part for Blind Girls but it has our emotion/vibe for sure.
The first chunk of the song was a challenge to get the timing/flow of, as it’s pretty speedy. I like this songs chaotic and spooky vibe. It’s fun bringing in the breakdown outro with the straight open bass notes when we play it live.
AI Generated Love Letter
Ben: This was the first demo Luke sent us for once we embarked on writing this new record. I remember being stoked on it straight away because there were lots of fresh elements that I feel like we previously wouldn’t have gone to naturally, all whilst being pretty much within the guise of a typical song we’d write. I really love the outro, heaps.
Lilac
Mark: I like that this song has a softer section that shows a different side to the sound of the band. It’s one of my favourite songs on the album.
For the middle section I wanted the bass to groove and flow like Hunter Burgan bass parts. How he plays influence my approach to my instrument. I used hammer-ons that land with Ben’s kick and snare. I like how these parts played together.
Death of an Unsung Thought
Julian: Death of an Unsung Thought was another idea that became an interlude on the record. Originally we tried it as an outro or as a bridge in other song ideas we were writing but while they didn’t come to fruition everyone thought the part was engaging enough to salvage. It was based off a singular repeating lead line over that sliding chord pattern with an ambiguous tonality.
There’s some layered sounds that are an homage to My Bloody Valentine’s reverse reverb’ed sound and Ben did a combination of live and programmed percussion that gave it a unique voice.
…It’s Starting to Rain
Mark: This was one of the first songs we started working on for An Exit Exists. I remember feeling excited about it all when listening to the rehearsal recordings between band practices. It made me feel like “we’ve got this” and we can make a great record that we dig.
Home Will Find Its Way
Luke: We originally hated this song. Julian saved it.
BLIND GIRLS live dates:
July 18 – Denton, TX @ Andys Bar (w/ Bullets Between Tongues)
July 19 – Austin, TX @ Empire (w/ Bullets Between Tongues)
July 20 – San Marcos, TX @ Private Park (w/ Bullets Between Tongues)
July 21 – Houston, TX @ 1810 Ojeman (w/ Bullets Between Tongues)
July 22 – Richmond, VA @ Cobra Cabana (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kensington Palace (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 24 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd (w/ Heavenly Blue, Pageninetynine, NØ MAN)
July 25 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 26 – New Brunswick, NJ @ Cinco De Mayo (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 28 – Providence, RI @ AS220 (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 29 – Boston, MA @ Coco’s Club House (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto (w/ Heavenly Blue)
July 31 – Detroit, MI @ Red Hook (w/ Heavenly Blue)
August 1 – Waterloo, ON @ Maxwells (w/ Heavenly Blue)
August 3 – Toronto, ON @ New Friends Fest (w/ Raein, Glassing)
