Australia’s long had a burgeoning Shoegaze scene, primarily centred on Melbourne, so it’s no surprise that rising Shoegaze band, Bloodhounds On My Trail, hail from the Victorian capital, and have today released their album, ‘Escape II’ internationally, by way of US label, Moon Sounds Records. The album is the deluxe edition of their previously released EP, ‘Escape’, and also features the tracks, ‘She’s In My Plans’, and a remix of ‘Jolly’, by celebrated dreampop duo, Ummagma. ‘Jolly’ is also the first single to be released from ‘Escape II’.
Guitarist Chris Donaldson says of ‘Jolly’,
“Jolly is about having a good moment when you’ve been having a bit of a difficult time and wanting to not let it go to waste. Happy for people to enjoy our music and take what they want out of it. How it makes them feel. The message is in the ears of the listener.”
Bloodhounds On My Trail comprise Johnny Green on Guitar and Vox, Chris Donaldson (also on Guitar), Drummer Nik Donaldson, and Ché Walden on Bass. The band has a collective love of Shoegaze bands of the late 80s and early 90s; additionally they seek to fuse the rhythmic underpinnings of classic bands such as the Velvet Underground and the Stooges with the stylings of Shoegaze legends such as Cocteau Twins and Slowdive.
Bloodhounds On My Trail are relative newcomers, having played their first show in February 2014. Nonetheless the band’s star has been on the rise, with a whirlwind of live shows, festivals, and recording sessions. Additionally, Shoegazemania named ‘Escape’ the number 2 EP of 2014. Gabe Lewis, from Lowtide, one of Australia’s foremost Shoegaze acts, has nothing but praise for Bloodhounds:
“They sound like how I want my guitars to sound,” Gabe explains. “Needless to say, I was immediately hooked. Really languid, cascading washes, and wearing their pastoral Shoegaze influences on their sleeves.”
Despite such lauding, Bloodhounds have their feet firmly placed on the ground. Vocalist Johnny Green says of their music,
“I hope for people to enjoy it and get a buzz off our tunes. We ain’t preaching anything, just making music we find exciting and want to record and play live.”
You can find Bloodhounds On My Trail online on Facebook and Twitter. You can buy ‘Escape II’ (as well as their other music), as a digital download from their Bandcamp site.
