Color: Eco Mix (Colours Vary). UPC: 0656605172835 Can a self-portrait be a collage? Can empathy be autobiographical? What's the point of living if we're not trying to understand all the horror and humor that surrounds everything? These are a few of the questions lurking under the bleachers of Wednesday's new album Bleeds , an intoxicating collection of narrative-heavy Southern rock that--like many of the most arresting passages from the North Carolina band's highlight reel so far--thoughtfully explores the vivid link between curiosity and confession. Bleeds is not only the best Wednesday record--it's also the most Wednesday record, a patchwork-style triumph of literary allusions and outlaw grit, of place-based poetry and hair-raising noise. Karly Hartzman--founder, frontwoman, and primary lyricist--credits Wednesday's tightened grasp on their own identity to time spent collaborating on previous albums, plus a tour schedule that's been both rewarding and relentless. "Bleeds is the spiritual successor to Rat Saw God, and I think the quintessential 'Wednesday Creek Rock' album," Hartzman said, articulating satisfaction with the ways her band has sharpened its trademark sound, how they've refined the formula that makes them one of the most interesting rock bands of their generation. "This is what Wednesday songs are supposed to sound like," she said. "We've devoted a lot of our lives to figuring this out--and I feel like we did." Just like Rat Saw God, one of the defining rock and roll records of the 2020s so far, Bleeds came together at Drop of Sun in Asheville and was produced by Alex Farrar, who's been recording the band since Twin Plagues . Hartzman again brought demos to the studio, where she and her bandmates--Xandy Chelmis (lap steel, pedal steel), Alan Miller (drums), Ethan Baechtold (bass, piano), and Jake "M.J." Lenderman (guitar)--worked as a team to bulk-up the compositions with the exact right...