“Five Pounds” delivers 6 tracks of raw energy without compromise, laying down the law. Hitchcock Blonde are the re-incarnation of Avenge Vulture Attack, having evolved from their punk rock to a more rocking sound, albeit slightly less aggressive. This London based four piece are carving out their own brand of indie punk rock.
Opening with “Baby Knows Best” with it’s great guitar hook opening (“Paint It Black” springs to mind) and it is used in the track to great effect off-setting the vocals. Soon Ellas very distinctive, almost raw vocals, are pulling you in demanding to be listened to.
“Buzz Kill” with its prominent rhythm takes the listener down a slightly different path, open gently opens and finds itself in a more laid back vein. Not for long. The tempo ups, and gets the pulse racing. Showing off Ellas range, and the ability of the band to change their sound, but remain true to their own sound. Moving into “Cutglass” which changes tack again with it’s more laid back sound, with a subtle funky bass. The track crescendos into what imagine is a great crowd pleasure.
“Sexy Like You” is almost an assessment of wanting to be like someone else, but then comes out as a criticism of the shallowness of others. The track encapsulates the underlying cynicism present on the EP. This is one of the stand out tracks, with great use of what I assume is a kazoo!!!
“Let It Go” is a rockier track, again with a slightly different sound. Again, they are using various techniques and sounds, and it works without making the EP sound like an experiment or that they are trying to find their “sound”.
CLosing the EP is “Animal”, which is the closest sounding in my mind, to AVA. With it’s solid guitar work, and is a fitting end to the EP. Now all we need is a full album!
You know I said they were slightly aggressive? An aggressive, almost punk, attitude is still present, but is more refrained. This give the EP an additional quality over “Renew”, and this shows in the music, and lyrics. They have upped their game since AVA, yet kept their originality. With a number of bands in the pop-punk-rock arena Hitchcock Blonde stand out. Watch out for them!
A free copy of their EP will be available at some point for a limited period, so keep an eye on their FaceBook page.
Line Up
Ella Grace – Vocals
Drew Wynen – Guitar
Joss Nightingale – Bass
Ben Davies – Drums
Track Listing
Links
http://www.facebook.com/hitchcockblonde/
https://twitter.com/HCBlondeband
http://www.youtube.com/hitchcockblondeband
http://soundcloud.com/hitchcockblondeband
http://hitchcockblonde.bigcartel.com/
http://www.hitchcockblondeband.com/
Words by Jon.
