It’s not often that bands release songs with titles that effectively describe the sonic disposition of a given musical assemblage, but that’s basically what Bashford has done with their latest single “Unrefined.” With grit, spirit, and aggressiveness, the group specializes in a sort of raw, harsh sound that’s just balls-to-the-wall guitars, drums, and some very lively howls.
Like the track itself, the accompanying music video for “Unrefined” is simple and no-nonsense, featuring the band performing the tune in a laundry room, along with a bit of a humorous F YOU to THE MAN. The song is track two from the trio’s latest album Greener Grasses, ten slabs of boisterous noise rock intended for only the most serious headbanger. Released in December, the album is now their fifth proper LP, issued via Big Neck Records.
Explaining the music video in more detail, Lucas Peltonen states:
“For our latest video, Bashford decided to go with something a little more off the wall than usual. A full-scale war on capitalism! Was our critique heard? Will it make a difference? Hell no! But it sure looks like we had fun! Fed up with his job, one brave intern fires nerf guns, throws paper airplanes, shoots silly string at, and even wrestles with his corporate oppressor before partaking in a rambunctious jam fest with some dudes.
“I think what this video is trying to say, in essence, is that music brings people together to have a good time and helps with taking our minds off the drudgery of boring work days. And also that jamming is fun while PowerPoints are not.”
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Bashford specializes in being as loud and as noisy as they can possibly be. Clean vocals are like kryptonite to this band, a group of guys who love to mess around, determined to live the best version of the classic punk rock lifestyle. Greener Grasses is perhaps their rowdiest release yet, written during the isolation triggered by lockdowns and quarantines. With boredom never more apparent, the guys took their negative energy and got all of those aggressions out through their songwriting.
If you were ever wondering what tumultuous sounds like, well, take a listen to this frenetic new album.
