"I Guess You Could Say I, Have A Boner..."
Usually, when you imagine Summer time from a musical perspective, you'll either think of outdoor festivals such as Download, tens of thousands of people rocking out at Donnington getting equal parts drunk and sunburned, or you'll think of the typical "Sun's out guns out" lad, shirt off, shades on, flip flops taking over all of the beer gardens listening to dance classics that for all intents and purposes, could be the same song looped over a million fucking times because they all sound the same...but what you generally don't think of, is literally anything associated with goths. Good god us Sun-fearing folk don't like the daylight as it is, black-clad and paler than an albino bathing in double cream, the Sun is our enemy! So it's surprising that one of the genre's most consistent outfits THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE drop their newest album in June! The twenty year veterans have never failed to deliver with their super accessible macabre yet mainstream goth-pop, and they hope to continue that impressive trend with "Under Your Spell"...slap on the factor 50...let's get massacred.
The album opens up with track one..."One"...and immediately we're greeted with trademark TBM atmospherics; the tickled keyboards and soft, ambient synths provided by Owen have always perfectly accompanied Chibi's delicately hushed, sweet vocals and here it's no different whatsoever, she has an almost childlike innocence in her voice and you can't help but be mesmerized, this is such a relaxing track it's genuinely lovely. The title track follows and it's a slower, colder effort...a beautifully layered anti-ballad if you will, the guitars carrying emotion and it's rich in it's sorrow; classic Birthday Massacre. They have a formula and tend to stick to it like glue but when it's this good there's no need to mix it up too much, but on tracks such as "All Of Nothing", when they add subtle dub-step elements to balance out a grittier, sinister guitar tone it only emphasizes a sound that they've quite frankly perfected, this just ticks all of the boxes.
Speaking of boxes ticked, it wouldn't be a TBM album without some solid tunes and this is no exception..."Without You" has a simplistic, nostalgic 80's pop vibe, it's a great throwback track, this is how electronica is meant to sound..."Counterpane" by contrast is a lot heavier...the guitars have crunch to them, there's an intensity here and the chorus is incredibly catchy, fans of PVRIS may gravitate towards this one, while "Hex" could be befitting of any of the bands back catalog, TBM by numbers but in a good way, it's what you expect and they don't disappoint, before "Endless" closes the album on a high note with it's electronic pop hooks, it's very up-beat, very much a case of they've saved the best until last, rounding off the album perfectly, a definite album highlight. Despite not really having any bad tracks per se, there are still weaker offerings in the shape of "Games" which harbors a sultry electronic tone that reminds me of early CHARLI XCX and "The Lowest Low" which is a very fitting title, given the tracks somber tone, a despairing almost depressing ballad. Overall however, TBM have once again delivered on all fronts...this is an instant classic and slots into an already impressive lineage of albums that the Canadian's have produced over the years...some say they are a one-trick pony but let me tell you, it's pedigree...under your spell? Very much so...very much so indeed, a superb album, fuck the Queen, I've had two birthday's this year too! [9]
The album opens up with track one..."One"...and immediately we're greeted with trademark TBM atmospherics; the tickled keyboards and soft, ambient synths provided by Owen have always perfectly accompanied Chibi's delicately hushed, sweet vocals and here it's no different whatsoever, she has an almost childlike innocence in her voice and you can't help but be mesmerized, this is such a relaxing track it's genuinely lovely. The title track follows and it's a slower, colder effort...a beautifully layered anti-ballad if you will, the guitars carrying emotion and it's rich in it's sorrow; classic Birthday Massacre. They have a formula and tend to stick to it like glue but when it's this good there's no need to mix it up too much, but on tracks such as "All Of Nothing", when they add subtle dub-step elements to balance out a grittier, sinister guitar tone it only emphasizes a sound that they've quite frankly perfected, this just ticks all of the boxes.
Speaking of boxes ticked, it wouldn't be a TBM album without some solid tunes and this is no exception..."Without You" has a simplistic, nostalgic 80's pop vibe, it's a great throwback track, this is how electronica is meant to sound..."Counterpane" by contrast is a lot heavier...the guitars have crunch to them, there's an intensity here and the chorus is incredibly catchy, fans of PVRIS may gravitate towards this one, while "Hex" could be befitting of any of the bands back catalog, TBM by numbers but in a good way, it's what you expect and they don't disappoint, before "Endless" closes the album on a high note with it's electronic pop hooks, it's very up-beat, very much a case of they've saved the best until last, rounding off the album perfectly, a definite album highlight. Despite not really having any bad tracks per se, there are still weaker offerings in the shape of "Games" which harbors a sultry electronic tone that reminds me of early CHARLI XCX and "The Lowest Low" which is a very fitting title, given the tracks somber tone, a despairing almost depressing ballad. Overall however, TBM have once again delivered on all fronts...this is an instant classic and slots into an already impressive lineage of albums that the Canadian's have produced over the years...some say they are a one-trick pony but let me tell you, it's pedigree...under your spell? Very much so...very much so indeed, a superb album, fuck the Queen, I've had two birthday's this year too! [9]
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