Blush (Moose Blood album)

In April 2014, Moose Blood signed to independent label No Sleep. According to vocalist/guitarist Eddy Brewerton, the band were offered "some amazing tours that were too good to say no to", and as a result all of the members quit their jobs to focus on touring While still touring that October, the band released their debut album, ''I'll Keep You in Mind, From Time to Time''. Subsequent touring helped the band members become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, as guitarist Mark E. Osbourne explains: "[Touring] just made us play better together ... and as a unit, we’re just tighter through playing and touring so much." Prior to recording, the band sent demos to producer Beau Burchell, who had produced their debut album, to give him a rough idea of the band's future direction. Mastering took place at Azimuth Mastering. ==Composition==

Osborne and Brewerton would write material together before showing it to the rest of the band during practice sessions. From there, they would turn it into a full-band song. The band faced pressure while writing Blush. Brewerton explained: "we started thinking about that [the pressure of writing a follow-up] too much. We just tried to do everything the best we could ... and worked harder on the songs." A few of the album's songs were written prior to recording; most of them were written as the recording process was underway, which allowed the band to be more creative. Touring was a major influence during writing, according to Osbourne: "because you spend time away from the people important to you." "Knuckles" is about when Brewerton met his wife and knowing that "you have found someone who is perfect for you straightaway." "Sway" came about from a jam session; Brewerton went outside to smoke and heard the rest of the band playing the song. He was initially annoyed according to Osbourne, saying he wasn't going to play guitar on the song. Brewerton explained: "Only 'cause it sounded great without me!" ==Release==

On 1 April 2016, the band released a teaser video, hinting that their next album would be released in the summer. On 14 April, the band announced they had signed to Hopeless Records. Four days later, Blush was announced for release, and the album's artwork and track listing was revealed. On the same day, a music video was released for "Honey", directed by Lewis Cater. Mischa Pearlman of TeamRock called it "a parody video which features an updated (and presumably English) version of a typical American nuclear family." Also in April, the band went on a tour of the UK with The Winter Passing and Greywind. Following a premier on BBC Radio 1, "Knuckles" was made available for streaming on 2 June. A week later, a music video was released for the song, directed by Cater. In July, the band went on a headlining tour of the US. On 21 July, "Sulk" was made available for streaming. On 2 August, "Cheek" was made available for streaming. Blush was released on 5 August Later in August, the band went on a tour of Australia. From mid-September to early October, the band went on a tour of Europe with Pup and Luca Brasi. Following this, the band went on a tour of the UK with Boston Manor and Turnover. From mid October to late November, the band supported The Wonder Years on their tour of the US. On 24 October, a music video was released for "Cheek". The video was filmed at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City. In January and February 2017, the band supported A Day to Remember on their tour of the UK and Europe. On 31 January 2017, "Knuckles" was released to US modern rock radio stations. In February and March, the band toured across the US with support from Trophy Eyes, Boston Manor and A Will Away. ==Reception==

Blush received mostly positive reviews from critics. In a positive review Neil Yeung of AllMusic said that "everything here hits harder — both in terms of musicianship and sentiment — providing a fine balance of anthems and raw confessionals". Alternative Press included the album on their 30 best albums of 2016 list. ==Track listing==

Personnel per booklet. Moose Blood • Eddy Brewerton – vocals, guitar • Mark E. Osborne – guitar • Kyle Todd – bass • Glenn Harvey – drums Production • Beau Burchell – producer, recording, mixing • Nicole Busch – photography • Glenn Harvey – artwork, layout == Charts ==