Nosebleed

Scratching Circles On The Dancefloor

Written by: MAK on 12/03/2018 19:06:32

Leeds, United Kingdom-based rock n roll fronted punk trio, Nosebleed have placed themselves in the hearts of many that has followed the UK DIY scene over the last couple of years. Relentless touring and providing incredibly energetic shows to the masses has pushed more popularity on the three-piece, especially with stand-out performances at last year’s festivals, including Manchester Punk Festival, Wotsit Called Fest and their show-stealing set at Boomtown Fair. In 2016 Nosebleed released their EP, “Something In My Head”, which was a taste of what to expect from the Leeds act, yet didn’t quite match the impressive character you get when you see Nosebleed live. Debut album, “Scratching Circles On The Dancefloor” looks to change that outlook on their recorded material.

I’ve stated before that TNSrecords appear to have a formula for their bands, who commonly provide short, fast and aggressive songs. Apart from song length, Nosebleed joins the likes of Matilda’s Scoundrels and Faintest Idea in breaking that formula on what to expect from a TNS release. The trio delivers a brand of raw, very lo-fi garage punk rock that throws in hints of indie-rock and a strong dose of rock n roll attitude. The title track for one is a prime example of this, a real groover, with a pop-rock style hook to it, while guitarist Eliott Verity showcases his best Marty Mcfly guitar solo impression.

Opener track “I’m Okay” sets the real mood for “Scratching Circles…”, it’s the first track on an album of simple rockers to get you moving for twenty minutes across thirteen rather short songs. Apart from the quirky fills and solo flicks, it’s a basic rock music blueprint but delivered with the right energy to still be very exciting. We are treated to some live favourites, such as “Time and Time Again”, which unleashes nothing but a fun atmosphere with it’s catchy chorus which is easy to sing along to and “I’m Shaking” which packs a bit more punch and designed to create a bit of pit tenacity.

This album is laced with outright anthems, such as “Start Again” and “I Can’t Tell You Anything”, which are perfect for playing live, purely because of how easy the choruses are to join in. “Psycho” unleashes the rockabilly influences with the bouncy beats and a riff that I’m pretty sure is a sped up version of “Rock Lobster” by The B-F2’s. “What Have You Done” stands out to me as the album closes, it's the most different on the release with a real Billy Idol vibe to it for the first half in the vocals, yet the song evolves into a really fast and aggressive rock anthem towards the end, still flaunting those bouncy rockabilly style rhythms. “Slow Down”, however, is the most captivating release on the album though with the up-tempo Strokes feel to it in the riffage, to the scream in the intro and outro, it has some great angst to it, yet doesn’t sacrifice the fun nature that Nosebleed is known for.

Much like Matilda’s Scoundrels’ debut album, “Scratching Circles…” is a real testament to how good Nosebleed are live and massive improvement on previous material that just couldn’t quite highlight it. I don’t think the trio could have got closer than they have; I hear this album and am reminded of the usual chaos you can expect from a Nosebleed set. I came into this year expecting a really good album from Nosebleed and I’m not disappointed in the slightest. To quote bassist Ben Hannah, “it represents everything Nosebleed are about, short, sharp, catchy songs about love lost and being scared of the dark.”

8

Download: Scratching Circles, Slow Down, Time and Time Again
For The Fans Of: The Strokes, The B-52's, Dead Kennedys
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 06.04.2018
TNSRecords


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