It’s been too long since I’ve a) listened to music from this century and b) found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Thankfully, my hunger for exciting new music has finally been satisfied (for now) with the release of Blood Red Shoes’ latest album ‘Fire Like This’.
Hailing from Brighton, UK, the two-piece have infused a delicate blend of raw grunge, punk, and alternative rock to form a sound that existing English guitar-rock bands lack. Influences from bands such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Pixies are easily extracted by listeners from the haunting guitar melodies to the dark lyrics.
The album consists of a sound ten tracks, including current single ‘Light it Up’, and features everything from rough angst (‘Colours Fade’) to beautiful vocal displays (‘When We Wake’). Although the songs share a stringing similarity which unite them perfectly, the sound is rarely boring or repetitive, with vocals constantly being switched from drummer (Steven Ansell) to guitarist (Laura-Mary Carter). The harmonious collaboration of the two members is most eloquently showcased in ‘Keeping it Close’, which would be, in my opinion, the album’s prime track.
This album deserves nothing less than a 9/10 – the lack of low-quality filler tracks allows it to be peacefully played back to front repetitively. I guarantee it will have something to deliver whether you are in a foul, pathetically hopeless state, or a wonderful mood.
Review Score: 9/10
