Listen to ... Blacklight Animals – The Wrong Hands
A raucous piece of rock revival: remove lid, pierce film and listen for just under four minutes.
Allow me, if you will, to indulge in a guilty pleasure of mine: good ol’ fashioned guitar-driven, self-fulfilling alternative anthems that sell themselves on vibes alone.
Full disclosure: these songs are the kind that got me into writing and led me to drone on about each and every single that scrappy young artists poured their hearts into – as I tried to pay them that same kindness.
TL;DR? The sound of this track tapped into a nostalgic nerve of mine. Expect bias.
Gushing aside, rattling cymbals and warped, weeping guitar notes welcome you like a long lost friend. Then the groove hits. My closest comparison to Blacklight Animals? A now defunct Leeds act – but one that’s still definitely worth your time – by the name of The Strawberries.
The first verse is confident in its delivery, but can back it up – a true anomaly. Pacing is key here, as the band strip back as to not overwhelm new listeners. That’s what the chorus is for, after all.
A simple chorus is underpinned by emphatic riffs that add essential texture to the relatively modest vocal delivery. That’s no slight on The Wrong Hands – rather praise of the song’s excellent structure and production.
By the time we reach the landmark line – “promise we won’t speak a word of this to anyone” – you’re elevated, albeit momentarily, to the sun-soaked desert soundscapes that one Joshua Homme might project.
Are you a dad – or dad to be – looking out for those long-lost guitars? Blacklight Animals has them in spades. An excellent early effort from a band that already seems sure of its identity – a concept many of their peers can only dream of.
Don’t take my word for it. Give the track a listen and check out the band’s socials for all the latest. Well, I presume.