Blood Red Shoes

Four albums in and it's back to basics for Blood Red Shoes. Not that the Brighton duo ever deviated far from their pounding drums, distorted guitar and shared vocals template. This first self-produced album from Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter bears the fruit of the ultra-tight combo's rigorous touring schedule. Everything All at Once and An Animal boast riffs that would turn Josh Homme and Alex Turner green with envy. Grey Smoke has a sensual swagger similar to fellow duo The Kills, and Don't Get Caught crosses Yeah Yeah Yeahs style with Foo Fighters bombast. If it all sounds a little derivative then it probably is, yet Blood Red Shoes pull it off with such force and conviction that the bruises from this 38-minute aural hammering are far from painful. bloodredshoes.co.uk
Download: An Animal, Far Away, Stranger