Hazy Road by Bong WishHazy Roadis the debut album fromBong Wish, the solo project of Palestinian-American artistMariam Saleh. Former bassist for beloved garage rock bandFat Creeps, Saleh got her start in the Boston music scene of the early 2010s. While living above a music venue, where she was also employed, she was exposed to a myriad of jazz, psych, and experimental music. In turn, Bong Wish incorporates both the high-energy and distortion of garage alongside kaleidoscopic soundscapes, and folds them into its folk rock sensibility.Hazy Roadis a coming-of-age album, documenting Salehs self-exploration, as fueled by her interest in psychedelia, spirituality and the desire to know oneself. Love is in season, love is in me, she declares in the song Witches. Salehs vocals and phrasing maintain a smooth and cool quality throughout the album, lending the songs a deep wisdom and a sweet breeze of confidence. A fan of bothLoves surreal folk rock andWeens eccentric expression, Saleh enjoys infusing her tunes with a touch of tripped-out freakiness. The title track Hazy Road seems to borrow its vocal line from the sound of a record being played backwards in order to reveal its true message, as alluded to from the sample at the start of the song. I Can Feel could have been sung by theByrdsorVashti Bunyan, albeit at half speed, while Moon For You could have easily appeared on theMagnetic Fields69 Love Songs. On Breeding Evil, Saleh confronts the senselessness of Israels apartheid against the Palestinian people and broods over how it has personally affected her family. Your fire soldiers have left a mark on all that I have known, she summons. But she pledges strength in the face of all the cruelty: You cant kill lovers, we will only rise and love once more. Bong Wish has been Salehs journey through home recording and beguiling live shows. Over the years it has been a solo project, a glam rock band, a trio with flute and piano, a spoken word act, and more. The process has paid off.Hazy Roadhas a natural, immensely listenable quality to it that only comes when an artist gives themself the time to discover a sound that is uniquely theirs. The album is both a homage to the rock and folk music that Saleh loves and a collage of memories, dreams and moods. A reverie on a misty beach. Nostalgia for a love gone away. Hope for the future.Hazy Roadaccompanies Saleh through the dark as she strives toward light and love. Sally Horowitz, edited byAlaina Stamatis.