Exclusive Album Premiere: Wipes’ ‘Wipes’
Wipes are declaring Don’t Tell My Parents with the new LP that the noise-punk band will issue through Hex Records on Friday. But The Bad Penny is telling everyone we know about the righteously rambunctious by exclusively presenting a stream of the entire album today.
Not to be confused with Wipers, the influential Portland post-punk band that both Nirvana and the Melvins covered, the rather similar-sounding Wipes are still in their toddler years and hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Wipes carry the heavily distorted torch previously held by Wipers but are even more committed to making exuberant, off-kilter noise.
The band released new cuts “Social Mask” and “Stone Eater” earlier this year. Now, check out Don’t Tell My Parents in its entirety:
All three Wipes spoke exclusively with The Bad Penny about their self-titled record.
Bassist/vocalist Ray Gurz recalled the making of Wipes to The Bad Penny:
“We just came back from Seattle and it went smoothly. But I kept noticing things were off with the (other) members,” he said. “It’s hard to hype up your bandmates when you sense an infection is in the band. Something was going on and I sensed it. It was spreading. We had a goal to do a new album, a time frame, and already had a working title.”
Gurz continued: “But [Wipes’ previous members] had other things going on. We were not on the same page. So after a while, we had [drummer] Garrett [Groller] filling in to help the process for six weeks while [our former drummer] had personal stuff to take care of. I just had to ask if they were anywhere interested in doing this project anymore. I knew it was coming. I have been in bands for 25 years. I sensed it.”
The ex-Wipes “respectfully wanted to move on,” according to Gurz. “We are still friends. There is zero anger or hostility towards them. We finished dinner and as they drove off, I was on my phone already figuring it out. I am a lifer. I have always loved music and I wanted to continue. To me, the drummer is the hardest to find, and Garrett was in motion already. Making the songs work and helping writing new stuff. Once he said he really wanted to do it after six weeks of playing with us, I felt that excitement again. I just received a new spark from Garrett Groller, and it was off to find someone who had asked me to play second guitar since the band started.
Gurz went on: “So I reached out to Daryl Fogel. I told him what was happening. I explained to his wife what was in store for the band (always include all better half’s of the relationships in the details!) He was a fan since we started, so each week it became more apparent the vibes were there. Then I finally said, ‘Are you in?’ After that, the new band buzz was in full swing for them.
“I have done this forever, with every up and down you can think of,” Gurz elaborated. “But I just made it fun, made goals, and was brutally honest, the way I have always been. In just a couple months, we finished a record , made a music video , booked a tour to get to Caterwaul (Fest) and back. I knew once we hit Captured Recording Studios/Jared Stimpfl, he would dial in the record that just came out like the way he knows I want.”
Gurz concluded: “Wipes has been a journey, a rollercoaster of ups and downs, weird turns, and screeching brakes. It truly comes down to I love making music with my friends. Each song, each album, is a personal chapter in this book of life. I will never stop making or sharing the feeling of making music with friends. I get asked all the time, ‘Is it worth it? The headaches? The frustration?’ Yes. Making loud music with humans is what’s worth it.”
Groller told his side of the story: “I was approached by a mutual friend that Wipes was looking for a drummer. Might be temporary. Might be permanent. I was nervous as hell, but looking back on it now, I think Ray and I clicked from the start. We jammed for a few months with [Wipes’ previous] guitarist. Daryl later joined, and he fit right in. We began writing the new album at a feverish pace. Each week we wrote a new song. It was almost effortless.
“The three of us really jive well together,” Groller added. “I think we have something really special and we are just getting started. I am excited to see where 2025 takes us.”
Fogel also chimed in: “I remember getting a DM from Ray last August. All it said was ‘Talk. Phone.’ I nearly shit my pants when he asked me to play guitar in Wipes. Since then, it’s really been all hands on deck and buckle up type thing. The momentum has not stopped since day one in late August/ early September.”
“We’ve written so much since then,” explained. “Ray, Garrett and myself all have the same drive and enthusiasm to really bring Wipes into the next level. I think a big part of this momentum really comes from how well we all just seemed to click together. I feel like Wipes already had us wearing some big shoes, with the music already slated in stone. But we created a killer record that hits hard and stands on its own.”
Go to Wipes’ Bandcamp page to pre–order their self-titled record before it arrives via Hex Recrds on Friday.
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