Pure Blood – Barking Poets (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Having made a name for themselves writing up-and-at-‘em, punk-infused, indie-driven, pop-aware anthems, Barking Poets now show us another side to their musical personality, “Pure Blood” proving to be a dark and delicious, brooding and bruised song indeed.

Hanging raw guitar shards and squalling sonics onto a Cure-esque bassline and metronomic drums, we find them in a more reflective mood, one where they blend pathos with poise and poignancy with power. It is music that matches the seasonal mood: the summer sun is a distant memory, the autumn chill sweeps through, and we head into the bleak aftermath —the dark days of winter. A time to take stock, a time of reflection.

“Pure Blood” is not without its power, but they layer it on slowly, building a growing sonic presence rather than going for the obvious suckerpunch of volume and velocity. Dynamic is the name of the game here, and it is a long way from their mid-song twinkling guitar lull to the seering, white-hot six-string crescendos, but that is the art of great songwriting. You don’t have to layer on more and more sounds, double-track and throw the kitchen sink in; you just have to make the most of the instruments you have.

For a band in the loosely speaking, punk environs, Barking Poets has always been one of the more interesting, understanding how to keep that genre’s spirit alive whilst pushing it forward into a new and fresh future. “Pure Blood” is the sound of that quest picking up even more momentum.

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