BLED: The Manner Of All Flesh

(Bandcamp)

Cassette/ST/DL

Launched: 19 September, 2023

BLED deliver darkness and light-weight collectively on new EP of Goth Pop which you could dance to while trying sombre.

We reviewed BLED’s lead off single from this EP, This Brutal Place, right here, and have been trying ahead to listening to The Manner Of All Flesh since. It doesn’t disappoint.

BLED, a duo consisting of Blue and Pink from Bristol, handle to mix a melange of usually contradictory kinds to create their very own sound. What makes it work, slightly than sounding like a musical hotchpotch, is their sheer intelligence, humour and power. And it isn’t simply the music that pursuits them, creating artistic endeavors out of themselves, a mixture of glam and pop, Bowie and Bucks Fizz, of their stage photos of Pink and Blue, while Pink additionally paints the bands album covers. That is music taken severely.

EP opener is the melodramatic The Symmetry which pulls within the Goth affect and throws in a spice of New Romantic. The drum beat is heavy (apparently the band sourced classic drum machine samples) and the vocals sound like Eldritch would have accomplished if he ever smiled. The keyboards bubble away beneath creating stress, and all of it builds as much as a manic ending, dashing up like enjoyable honest craziness, earlier than ending on an ambient, melancholic notice. This Brutal Place has a darkish wave electro beat with vocals of deep depth, however with a really catchy pop refrain. It will sound nice blasting out in some subterranean different bunker. Subsequent up, Honour, is a track about leaving and transferring on. The vocals are sung with depth and is extra guitar primarily based, with some nice riffs. It has a extra critical edge to it. Phrases has a really 80’s darkish pop sound, consider Tears For Fears, and showcases a extra mature songwriting, with its depth of lyrics and the way in which the track is crafted. It’s danceable and shoe gazing on the identical time. However in case we thought BLED have been starting to get too critical, the EP ends on a enjoyable and quirky quantity, The Package deal (Or Derek The Intercourse Robotic), which jogs my memory of the a lot maligned Dolly Mixtures.

BLED have proven a rising musical maturity on this launch, however actually haven’t misplaced their joyous depth and humour. The enjoyment of constructing music with a darkish pop edge shines via these recordings. Go hear.

You will discover BLED by way of their Linktree.

All phrases by Mark Ray. Extra writing by Mark Ray may be discovered at his creator archive. And he may be discovered on X, Instagram and WordPress