It’s going to be a good year for hardcore. Bib just announced their return, and now Gouge Away are back as well with their long-awaited third album, Deep Sage. The Florida crew last released an LP in 2018 with the unruly, singular Burnt Sugar; since then, they shared some songs here and there, including a cover of Pixies’ “Wave Of Mutilation.” Today, to preview Deep Sage, they’ve released “Stuck In A Dream” with a video directed by Caleb Gowett.

Gouge Away began writing Deep Sage in 2019, before they were interrupted by the pandemic. When it was finished in March of 2023, they recorded it with Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden East. It was recorded completely analog and almost entirely live; Christina Michelle performed her vocals in an isolation booth while the rest of the band played.

“Recording live and to tape creates an intense environment where we have no choice but to feed off each other’s energy,” Michelle said in a statement. “We have to get it right in one take and if anyone messes up we all have to start over, so no one wants to be that guy. It adds an element of risk and excitement. We don’t want to sound beautifully polished or perfect anyway. We want to sound like the five of us being human, and no one is better than Jack Shirley when it comes to capturing what it feels like in the room.”

The previously released track “Idealized” will appear on the record. Watch the video for “Stuck In A Dream” below.

01 “Stuck In A Dream”
02 “Maybe Blue”
03 “Idealized”
04 “Deep Sage”
05 “A Welcome Change”
06 “Overwatering”
07 “No Release”
08 “The Sharpening”
09 “Spaced Out”
10 “Newtau”
11 “Dallas”

Deep Sage is out 3/15 on Deathwish.