Review: Bad Blood Recovery ‘Perfidious’ EP
When is an EP not an EP and an album instead? A debate for some other time, perhaps, as Perfidious made me ponder that very question, as I was expecting the usual three, four or even five songs. Instead, I got seven that last around fifty-five minutes, so it was time to sit down and have a listen.
The EP in question comes from Oxford’s Bad Blood Recovery, via Future Noise Recordings, so I suspect it was the label’s main man here playing with people’s minds (ha ha).
That aside, they’ve produced an interesting collection of songs they’ve produced. The Shonk Session tracks were recorded just after lockdown with a slightly different line-up, as only vocalist Sean Parkin and drummer Alex Lane remain. The studio has since shut down, but now with new members, they have released the music in its purest form.
It opens with the title track, Perfidious, which has a slow, moody beginning, and I’m hearing hints of Joy Division in the vocal style from Parkin. It’s certainly unlike anything I’ve heard recently as the blues riffs creep in and out as it crawls along at a medium pace. However, it’s in stark contrast to the remix that follows from fellow Oxford city dwellers Tiger Mendoza. This made me sit up and want to get my whistle and bucket hat out as it shows how much of a difference an EDM beat can have upon a track.
The slide guitar works beautifully with the growling, emotional vocals and gentle rhythm…
Then we get Wolf Fleece, the first of the songs recorded at Shonk Studios, and it gives off that raw, noisy energy that people will immediately warm to. The band displays elements of stoner rock across the melody, which also allows Parkin to showcase his impressive vocal range, and I’m really liking the edgier, rockier, fuzzed-out feel of the composition.
This is followed by the slightly creepy Out Of Phase which demonstrates the versatility of the band. It has that dark, broodiness of ‘70s post-punk as the guitar tone is atmospheric with a sinister drum line. At nearly ten minutes, it varies in tempo and style across the arrangements, and you’ll discover that it’s not creepy at all, more intriguing and mysterious the further you dig deeper in.
Backing this up is another lengthy track, Sweet Taste. It opens with thirty seconds of deathly silence, so don’t turn it off before it kicks in, as when it does, it conjures up images of being on a dusty trail on the back of a horse-drawn wagon. The slide guitar works beautifully with the growling, emotional vocals and gentle rhythm before it somewhat abruptly ends.
The final track, Graphite Sky, has two versions offering up more sedate blues notes over the top of a relaxed drum with Parkin’s voice dominating from the off. One version seems cleaner than the other, however, there’s very little to choose between them with the calm, assured solos being impressive and a joy to listen to.
Label: Future Noise Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
