The Student Playlist

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REVIEW: The Blinders – ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath’ (Modern Sky)

7/10

In a sentence:

The Blinders use their second album ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath’ to explore new and more interesting territory.

Originally from Doncaster where the trio formed in 2014, The Blinders released their debut EP Hidden Horror Dance in 2016. In 2017, they were signed to Modern Sky UK and by 2018 they had released their debut album Columbia, a politically infused soundscape that illustrated an Orwellian dystopia which beckons the modern world. In less than two years and a heavy touring schedule later (including the release of their first live album Live At The Ritz in 2019), the band are ready to release their eagerly awaited Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath. From the very listen, it is apparent that The Blinders have bloomed out on all fronts with a mature sound that cries of brilliance, whilst continuing to push forward their previously established aggressive punk rock sound.  

Many of the fans that have seen the band live throughout the Columbia tour will be familiar with the single ‘Forty Days And Forty Nights’, which follows through with belting speed and even faster lyrics. The track carries a signature sound and spirit that is unmistakably Blinders, with highly distorted guitars, groovy basslines, and punchy drums. It’s already clear that it will remain a live favourite for years to come.

Music video for ‘Forty Days And Forty Nights’

Pairing the chilling and dystopian lyrical passages that we know all too well with equally compelling contextual insights, ‘Lunatic (With A Loaded Gun)’ reflects the anger of modern society and the carelessness of the capitalist agenda from the Trump administration. With lyrics such as “Cause there’s profit to turn, so the world’s gonna burn” and the title lyrics “it’s a lunatic with a loaded gun” the track’s message is enhanced through metaphoric comparison to him as “Lunatic”. The political tone presented is not new to the group’s lyrical approach by any means, but it at least addresses an issue that many people resonate with already.

Although it preserves and refines the sound and dystopia-led contextual approach that surrounded Columbia, a great deal of growth and divergence has led Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath on a journey that offers new perspectives of uncharted musical territory and influences. ‘Circle Song’ is the first track to branch away from their established sound and into the folk genre, with soothing vocal harmonies and an expanded range of instrumentation that includes an acoustic guitar and piano (the latter having only being used once on ‘Orbit (Salmon Of Alaska)’, the concluding track of Columbia). Observably however, the lack of rawness and electrifying riffage only renders any essence of punk to be almost non-existent, which suggests a new direction for the band in the albums to come which compliments this shift.

Music video for ‘Mule Track’

The album is a natural progression of their previous sound, with the addition of a wider array of influences and more avenues of sound to explore in future records. Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath has demonstrated The Blinders’ ability to grasp the environment of the modern world as a source for their inspiration to a much further extent than Columbia. (7/10) (Jack Walley)

Listen to Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath by The Blinders here via Spotify, and tell us what you think below!

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