Blood Red Shoes – Get Tragic.

“We fuckin’ hated each other, is what you’re politely trying to say.” drummer Steven Ansell replies to band mate Laura-Mary Carter; this was in response to her claim that following their last tour “we weren’t sure if we were gonna be a band anymore.” On the surface, it’s hardly the best way to begin making a new album: but music is littered with bands being at each other’s throats and turning out some great albums: Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks and U2, I’m looking at you.

With the band completely severing ties with each other, Carter decamped to LA, living the party life and crashing her motor cycle. So how will a few broken bones, a complete communication breakdown, remorse and reconciliation shape Blood Red Shoe’s rather aptly titled new album Get Tragic.

Luckily for the band and us, this tumultuous period has spawned an album filled with intriguing tales and great tracks, packed full of dirty guitar and electronica; it’s well worth a listen.

Opening with sleazy “Eye To Eye”, a raw, unflinching account of what happened whilst the two were apart. Packed full of cold, downcast electronic, you can feel the bitterness seeping out of every pore.

Ed Harcourt guests on the haunting Beverley: a meaner nastier, distant relative to Soft Cell’s Say Hello, Wave Goodbye: the heartbeat is palpable, with lyrics that include: “In these ways that you could never understand ,how can I recover when I see her out with another man?”, unapologetically dark and brooding, it’s certainly one of the album’s stand out tracks.

Vertigo is a track packed full of scuzzy guitar riffs, so much so that you feel you need a shower after a first listen, whilst Elijah starts and off slow but suddenly slaps you across the face, packed  full of mocking lyrics and distorted guitars, certainly one of the albums many highlights.

Get Tragic is a brief look into a fractured relationship that is seemingly on the mend: it’s said that you should never go back after a break up, well for Blood Red Shoes, it’s a good job they did, because it’s allowed them to produce some of their best work.

Check out their website for tour dates and more information https://www.bloodredshoes.co.uk/