[9/10]
After starting out in 2012, Canterbury 4-piece Moose Blood were busy last year recording two spectacular EPs (Moving Home and Boston//Orlando) and a split with Departures. Since signing to No Sleep Records this past summer, Moose Blood have quickly been gaining notoriety for their catchy riffs and heartfelt lyrics. The band’s heavily anticipated debut full-length album, entitled I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time, was released a few days ago and exceeded even my high expectations.
The album starts off quietly with haunting vocal harmonies on ‘Cherry,’ lamenting lost love. The tempo picks up on the next few songs, notably ‘Anyway,’ which features driving guitars and drumbeats that will have you dancing along to. Another standout track is ‘I Hope You’re Missing Me,’ which the band just released a music video for. I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time also includes re-recorded versions of some of the best tracks from their earlier releases, such as ‘Boston’ and ‘Bukowski.’ The album slows down again at the close, with the emotionally exhausted sounding ‘I Hope You’re Miserable.’
Unlike many bands who shy away from the “emo” label, Moose Blood have proudly embraced it, and have often been quoted saying: “emo is a gang.” They even mention some of their favorite bands from the genre such as American Football, Brand New and Jimmy Eat World directly in their lyrics. It’s true most of their songs are about girls, but their songs are so unique from each other that it’s far from clichéd. Anyways, it’s lyrics like, “I’ll introduce you to Clarity / teach you the words to ‘The Sound of Settling’ / make you watch High Fidelity / on a Sunday, maybe one day,” from ‘Bukowski’ that Moose Blood so wonderfully relatable.
Moose Blood have a smattering of headlining dates this month before heading out in support of Mallory Knox in November. If I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time is anything to go by, it’s safe to say that Moose Blood are a band that will only get better over time.
Marita Farruggia
