Blood Red Shoes - Box Of Secrets
[V2]

They’ve been on the radar for a while now, touring their arses off for the last couple of years and gaining popularity for their spiky brand of energetic boy-girl rock, so the debut album from Blood Red Shoes is certainly a welcome arrival. The affair is largely as you would expect - six of the tracks have already surfaced on past single releases - but with re-recorded versions of some of their old favourites ('ADHD', 'You Bring Me Down', It’s Getting Boring By The Sea) making their presences felt, the duo still pack a hefty punch.

Some of the newer material sees the band step away from their usual ‘punkness’, in pursuit of an altogether grungier direction. ‘Doesn’t Matter Much’ and ‘Hope You’re Holding Up’ both rumble along at a slightly more restrained rhythm than we’ve grown used to when embracing the band in the past, but their choruses remain as unfalteringly huge and explosive as ever, irrespective of the pace of the song in question. At times the different approach also allows for a greater appreciation of Steven and Laura-Mary’s vocal harmonies, with the two of them complementing each other unerringly whenever called upon to do so.

Their vocal styles work well in tandem; Steven’s voice full of fragility-laced aggression and Laura-Mary’s rebounding effectively between nonchalance and heartfelt urgency. Their lyrical content deals with topics such as relationships (‘This Is Not For You’), bereavement (Say Something, Say Anything) and aspirations (You Bring Me Down, ‘Take The Weight’), and so over the course of the album an impression of the pair’s underlying frustration and anger at life’s path is easily detectable. In spite of this though, the record leaves its mark on the listener more because of its raw spirit than anything else.

It rocks bloody hard when it wants to, and offers an impressively lively snapshot of an emotionally-charged pair of young people.

Box Of Secrets Tracklisting:

1. Doesn’t Matter Much
2. You Bring Me Down (watch the video)
3. Try Harder
4. Say Something, Say Anything (watch the video)
5. I Wish I Was Someone Better (watch the video)
6. Take The Weight
7. ADHD
8. This Is Not For You
9. It's Getting Boring By The Sea
10. Forgive Nothing
11. Hope You're Holding Up