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| Hitchcock Blonde - Five Pounds |
Hitchcock Blonde – Five Pounds EP
Female fronted power-pop,
indie-rock bands have developed a bit of a bad reputation since the advent of
Girl Bands and the nu-metal approach adopted by people like Evanescence. But
with bands like Garbage and Skunk Anansie making a comeback there is obviously
a market for some new acts in this sub-genre Step forward London four-piece
Hitchcock Blonde to make their case and what a case it is! The first of the six
tracks contained on this EP is the uncompromising and relentless potential
chart smash of ‘Baby Knows Best’ which is a bitter and spite-filled anthem for
all those that have been on the wrong end of a controlling relationship (is
there a right end of a controlling relationship? Discuss). As a showcase for
frontwoman Ella Grace’s vocals, this is the perfect opener displaying her
fragility alongside her ferocious bite. ‘Buzz Kill’ is a more straightforward,
full-speed pop-punk track but does display the subtleties that have been sorely
lacking from artists approaching the pop-rock genre from the poppier end of the
spectrum without a proper understanding of how rock’n’roll works. Drew Wynan’s
off-kilter guitar riffs and thoughtful arrangements are in great affect on ‘Cutglass’
showing that Hitchcock Blonde can break out the stadium sized power chords as
well as the intricate indie rhythms you would expect from Franz Ferdinand or
early Biffy Clyro.
On ‘Sexy Like You’ Grace comes
over all Nina Persson with coy, crackled vocals but her inner diva soon breaks
free and then that vocal range is there for all to hear again. It’s exactly the
kind of song that you might hear on Heart FM by the person who came 4th
in 2009’s X-Factor and it would pass by unnoticed due to the lack of passion or
belief in the song. What Hitchcock Blonde have developed is the fine art of
crafting superior indie-pop-rock songs and then performing them with such
relentless energy and insistence that you’re not allowed to them pass you by. ‘Let
It Go’ could be Blur and Lush having a jam back in the 90s after listening to
too much Hole and EP closer ‘Animal’ has Debbie Harry’s sneer all over the top
of a tune that Josh Homme wishes he had written for the next Queens Of The
Stone Age album. I've not seen these guys live yet but I can only imagine that
the live show is a spectacle befitting of the schizophrenic nature of their
multi-genre straddling tunes. It’s not a phrase I often like to use but with
the talent and potential they possess, Hitchcock Blonde are certainly ones to
watch...
More information:
Live dates:
15th November 2012 – The Peel, Kingston
26th January 2013 – The Shed, Leicester
21st February 2013 – The Vic, Swindon
8-9th June, 2013 – Alive’n’Dubbin, Suffolk