Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This

Shaking off the excessive sheen of their previous work, Fire Like This presents a heavier, more focused version of Blood Red Shoes. At juggernaut speed from the off, Don’t Ask boasts fretwork to make Pretty Girls Make Graves envious whereas lead single Light It Up contrasts wandering guitars and handbells with powerful, passionate chorus riffs. When We Wake, fragile and understated, displays Laura-Mary Carter’s vocal ability outwith anthemic yelps, adding diversity and proving a highlight in its own right. Keeping It Close and One More Empty Chair layer raw slices of melody over increasingly confident-sounding scuzz, Steven Ansell’s drums are unfussy but ensure the duo’s sound may never be accused of thinness on this release. Discordant closer Colours Fade, over seven minutes long, harks back to vintage Sonic Youth through sheer intensity and its unexpectedly epic ending. Although the Brighton combo have hardly thrown the Box Of Secrets blueprint out the window, Fire Like This is the meaty step forward we were hoping for. [Lauren Mayberry]