Album Review: The Blinders – 'Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath'

The Blinders had a mammoth task in releasing a follow up to the success of 2018’s Columbia, an existential nightmare sound tracked by doom-laden riffing that is not recommended for weak ears and minds. Just from reading the title, you know Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath will get your heart racing.

Recorded over sixteen days in Manchester’s Eve Studios, Fantasies… exhibits what The Blinders are best known for – doom metal tempos with punk ferocity, heavy blues psychedelic riffing and unforgettable hooks. Musically influenced by IDLES, Nick Cave, Humbug­-era Arctic Monkeys and solo John Lennon, it’s an ambitious piece. For instance, songs such as ‘Forty Days & Forty Nights’ has a dance drumbeat underneath a Black Sabbath riff, both of which are complemented by a great hook and an IDLES-style middle section. ‘Circle Song’ is a little more laid back, with the slower Arctic Monkeys feel meets John Lennon. On the other hand, theinterlude track (called ‘Interlude’ if you’re struggling to find it) is an almost apocalyptic spoken word over piano, whilst final track ‘In This Decade’ has an early protest folk era Bob Dylan acoustic feel to it. Very diverse.

And the narrative of the songs complements the music’s ambition perfectly. Frustrations… follows Thomas Haywood’s character Johnny Dream as he predicted and explores the divide of the “Terrifying Twenties” that is “enough to make anyone to turn to drugs, depression and hatred of their fellow man,” making us “stay at home psychopaths”.

Words by Matthew Brocklehurst

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