Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell of Blood Red Shoes thought it was time to celebrate the dark side of themselves. The guitarist and drummer share a love for true crime stories and murder podcasts, so the British rock duo’s sixth album is dedicated to their obsession with serial killers.
The rudimentary, raw guitar rock wears a gray veil with some blood spatter. The false piano in the intro of Comply set the creepy tone. Then the guitar goes through the meat grinder and, mixed with bone grit, is liberally sprinkled over morbid and at the same time extremely danceable songs. Almost all horror on Ghosts on Tape invites you to move. Give Up is pogo fuel for speedpunks, the slow sucker lends itself to an uncanny goth shuffle.
Not every song is equally strong and sometimes the band repeats itself, but the blunt bombast of I Lose Whatever I Own, with the simple rhythm of a football chant and low-flying guitar jets, could easily become a classic on the alternative dance floors.
Blood Red Shoes
Ghosts on Tape
doll
★★★ ☆☆
V2
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