Belfast rockers Gush have returned with their blistering new single, “Empathology,” a major follow up to their 2024 debut EP ‘Explosure Therapy’, a five track whirling dervish of punk and grunge. The band has quickly established themselves as one of Belfast’s brightest talents, with previous single releases like the desert rock influenced “Like That” and the garage pop radio friendly “Your World.” That song earned them a coveted place on Spotify’s Alt_IE editorial playlist, was added to BBC Radio Ulster & Foyles ‘Where Music Matters’ playlist, and hit the airwaves with Dan Hegarty on RTE2FM, BBC Introducing, and BBC Precious Metal. The band has been on the road this year, completing their first Irish tour alongside fantastic festival appearances at GazeFest and Girls With Guts Festival. This new track sees the band further expanding their sonic palette as they bask at the altar of nineties flannel soaked distortion, with a powerful sound that is truly electrifying.
“Empathology” is an immediate test of your speakers, featuring a potentially earthquake inducing rumble from Rab’s bass and the nineties watery chorus lead of Robby’s guitar, all driven forward by Darren’s powerful drums. Chelsea’s inimitable vocals carry a subtle sense of menace while dripping with sincerity and truth. She shared the meaning behind the track, saying, “‘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 band worked quickly with long time collaborator Jonny Woods at 1980 Something Studios, leveraging the musical trust built over previous releases. For the visual language, they again turned to Ebony Alexander, who captured a studio based photo shoot reflecting the song’s darker nature. Chelsea commented on the art work: “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!”