[7/10]
Following on from their brilliant second album Tough Love, this quartet of long-haired Leodensians are on the cusp of releasing a third – very simply titled Blood. Perhaps this down to earth rock ‘n roll track reflects this – the song is predominantly guitar driven like much of their previous work, and the song itself doesn’t really kick off until about a minute in, instead beginning with some repetitive chords which have a really groovy feel. Then around the one minute mark, Tom Hudson’s classic hoarse vocals storm in, together with some delightfully off tempo drumming. Interestingly, it does demonstrate some musical development from their previous releases, there are some nice harmonies amid the softer verses, scattered in amongst the sheer rage of the choruses that fans have come to expect from the band.
In classic Pulled Apart By Horses style, near the end is an epic breakdown, and while this studi0-recorded version appears very stripped back and neat, I imagine this song will be absolutely phenomenal when performed live. ‘Hot Squash’ has just the right mix between sing-along choruses and pure head-to-the-ground mosh-inducing heaviness – this single could potentially go down as well as ‘V.E.N.O.M’ with PABH fans.
Oh, and I have no idea what either the title ‘Hot Squash’ or the totally unrelated creepy zombie video are actually about.
Anna Lim.
