The Blinders - 'City We Call Love'

Following last summer’s triumphant second album, ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath,’ The Blinders return with new music and their first outing with new recruits which saw the band expand from a trio to a five-piece.

As electric as they were as a three-piece, the decision to grow has paid off massively as evidenced in their recent UK tour and on this new track. Synth was something which was explored in their last album, but it’s stepped up a gear here, particularly towards the business end of the track where the layering adds an infectious looping psych-element.

‘City We Call Love’ is a definite progression for the band without abandoning the roots of their sound which were laid down on debut LP, ‘Columbia’ back in 2018. ‘Brave New World’ was probably the closest the band have come to a commercially sounding single, but this manages to surpass it and it would be an injustice if it doesn’t get its fair share of radio play. 

There’s no escaping it’s been a brutal last few years for the music business. The demise of Cabbage earlier this week feels like it’s only the tip of the iceberg for bands who can no longer viably solider on in the industry given the little help those not protected by the air bags of major labels received over the pandemic. 

There’s a few bands out there that I feel haven’t quite had the rub of the green that their peers have for one reason or another and The Blinders are one of them. Hopefully this release and the tracks that follow can propel the band up to the next level where they deserve to be. The water level’s rising at dangerous pace in the industry and great bands rely on fans to buy tickets for their shows and go out and get their records to keep their heads above water. 

Should I end on a negative? Probably not, did I mention the new single’s class?

Words by Richard Cobb

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