Album: The Blondies – ‘Just Another Evening’

Berkeley band The Blondies have returned with their riveting, raw second album Just Another Evening, following their 2015 release Beautiful Lie.

Title track, ‘Just Another Evening’, opens the album. Injected with piano chords and simplistic melodies resembling The Beatles, the considerably high vocal approach sounds similar to the younger McCartney’s. Introducing brass instruments collectively adds an extra energy, as guitar chords back up the dominant sound of the piano and we reach a crescendo towards the bridge.

Decreasing the tempo in next track ‘Sweet Delilah’ is a cocktail of Julian Casablancas and Luke Pritchard style vocals which reach considerable pitches. The powerful vocals are accompanied by a mix of groovy acoustic strums with added power from the electric, whilst drum solos take centre stage at parts.

In contrast, ‘The Prince’ opens with a much softer yet cheerier touch to previous tracks with lyrics to reflect the tone. Once the soaring vocals return, which shines through the apparent Spanish influences upon the guitar, electric riffs advance the track towards the bridge, before a blend of Spanish and indie guitar work collide.

Again, the mood changes within the melancholy lyrics matching the tone of the song within ‘The Doe’ – a musical form of a love letter. Beginning with haunting vocals, these continue for the remainder of the track. This eerie tone continues into following track ‘Love’s Regress’, where despite there being mismatched guitar strums to the vocals, it still seems to work.

‘Your Eyes’ is most certainly an uplifting track, faster bass beats contrasting with the present piano melodies leaves a positive vibe lingering. Multiple vocals empower the track to its utmost potential, furthered by the bridge seeing an earthy involvement in clapping and simplistic guitar and vocals.

This uplifting track is followed by my personal favourite, ‘My Love’. Showing off the band’s talents and musical influences, the raw guitar riffs, distorted vocals and use of string instruments resemble the almighty The Beatles once again.

Violins are again used in the final three tracks: ‘Long Time’, ‘Everyday’ and Beautiful’ – all of which interlink their endings and introductions before concluding the album overall. All three have a slight shift to their tones, however the overpowering lyrics stand strong through them all.

To draw the album to a close, earthy and authentic tones reflected within the entire album are increased with a conversation most probably after a recording. If this band have both talent and inspiration, there’s nothing stopping them from having as many hits as The Beatles themselves.

Find out more about ‘The Blondies’ at their Facebook.

 

Lottie Stuart
@iminavest

 

Lottie Stuart

Lottie Stuart

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