Belfast’s Gush – release blistering new single ‘Empathology’

Gush exploded onto the scene in 2024 with their debut EP ‘Explosure Therapy’, a 5 track whirling dervish of punk and grunge, that instantly made tastemakers start paying attention. Since then the band have quickly established themselves as one of Belfast’s brightest talents. Follow up single ‘Like That’ leaned into their more desert rock influences, while most recent single ‘Your World’ offered up a garage-pop radio friendly unit shifter. 

On ‘Empathology’ the band further expand their sonic palette as they bask at the altar of 90’s flannel soaked distortion, with a track that sounds like Cannonball by the Breeders…if the Breeders were cooler, moodier, goth kids fighting Veruca Salt and Jack Off Jill. From the outset the track tests the absolute limit of your speakers, a potentially earthquake inducing rumble from Rab’s bass is punctuated by the 90’s watery chorus lead of Robby’s guitar and driven forward by Darren’s drums as his snare strains under every hit. Chelsea’s guitar adds depth while her inimitable vocals carry a subtle sense of menace, but drip with sincerity, authenticity and truth. When asked about the track she says, ‘’Empathology’ is half about wanting to feel the pain of everyone around you so they don’t have to, and half wanting to share it with them, grow closer and connect on a deeper level. I’ve created my own subject, Empathology: the study of empathy’. The juxtaposition of the dark and brooding ‘Empathology’ against the feel good hit of the summer ‘Your World’, shows the band have depths to their songwriting and aren’t afraid to explore the extremes of their sound.

When it came time to record the band returned to long time collaborator Jonny Woods (1980 Something Studios/Wynona Bleach). This, the third single they’ve worked on together, was done and dusted in a matter of hours. Having developed a creative short hand over the previous releases and built a musical trust allows the band and Jonny to work on and develop ideas in the studio, pushing the song further.

When it came time to create the visual language for the single, the band again turned to longtime collaborator Ebony Alexander. Ebony is responsible for the photography and art work for the track. Opting this time for a studio based photo shoot, the pics help reflect the darker nature of the song. For the art work Chelsea says “We went for a kind of blurred / over exposed colour style for the artwork, but still with that dark edge, with the idea of depicting someone almost stepping into another person’s skin. Ebony just took my words and turned them into something that looks super cool as usual!”