Having covered their debut EP back in September 2018, it would have been rather remiss of me not to take up the opportunity to cover the next Black Market Heart EP in the form of forthcoming release ‘Transfusion’. Having really enjoyed their short but melancholic opener – an EP I still have on my ‘phone for listening to while travelling and have played at some Goth reunion nights I DJ at – I dove right into this as soon as I got a moment…
There is a definite shift of direction in this release from the original. While there is still an allusion to the previous EP, there is generally a more punk and noise pop take to most of the songs on this release, though this is still performed in a quite likable manner. We get four tracks on this, in comparison to the three of the previous, while the addition of a female vocalist to take co-lead duties is something that actually works well in relation to the songs on this EP and shows a good depth to their songwriting abilities to not be contained solely in their previous post-punk stance, while the almost tongue in cheek approach to the lyrics showing a tiredness and anger with the way things transpire.
Opener ‘Feed Me Poison’ has a really old school punk rock with a noise pop twist feel to it, with the almost Debbie Harry-esque aloofness from our new co-vocalist making for a really entrancing style. ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Another Day In The Life’ further demonstrate this new slant to their music, with the latter adding a touch of something almost psych-like in their use of keys to add a further layer to the sound, without overdoing the introduction of this. EP closer ‘Reach Out’ harkens back to their previous EP, having very much a feel of The Cramps – I could easily imagine myself playing it alongside ‘Human Fly’, for example – with the verse guitar being very much so slanted, while the chorus nudges back towards their newer take on their sound, providing a great method of bridging the gap between their previous EP and this.
The same guitar riff is used a couple of times, though with this move towards a more predominantly punk or noise-pop feel would fit with that fine, so it’s not a major negative point. It does feel that they’re still reaching for their sound together, but they have shown they are more than capable of both aspects they have created so far, with both the opener ‘Feed Me Poison’ and closer ‘Reach Out’ being prime examples of what they are capable of, with the dual vocals used in a manner that befits the legacy that I can hope they create for themselves. Looks like my phone is getting some more music added to it tonight!
- ‘Transfusion’ is released on Friday (12 June). You can get your copy HERE.
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