The Brookes Review - 'Bleed Me Dry' and 'Open Road'
Psychedelic punk-esque four-piece The Brookes hailing from Grimsby comprising of frontman Ben Keal, synth-guitarist Fraser Macdonld, bassist Elliott Gant and drummer Lauren Taylor welcome us back with a rousing new track and bonus track reflective of their style and sound development over their short break from music.
‘Bleed Me Dry’ is the juicy new track setting the tone for their return and boy does it tease the ears – alongside punchy guitar riffs and a heavy bassline sugar-coated in psychedelically charged synths comes hard-hitting stop-start drum hits from new drummer Lauren Taylor, stamping her talent all over the new sound.
Poetically political lyrics accompany the punk-esque style surrounding the new release whilst subtly attacking the hierarchical structure in place within modern day life.
This track not only encompasses the anger deriving from the aware youths of society it also allows itself to be easily accessible through simplistic yet catchy riffs.
The new music is almost incomparable to their old music which is one of the many reasons ‘Bleed Me Dry’ demands attention – to experiment with a new style is brave thing to do which speaks volumes for this four-pieces passion and what goes hand-in-hand with passion is performance; something naturally attained for these guys. Frontman Ben Keal echoes the voice of feminism injecting awareness of the struggles for equality matching the anger wrapped up within the music.
This track not only gives a taste for what else is to come – it becomes a shining symbol for the influences of modern day life upon current music.
Generously, we’re given a further taste of their new music with a B-Side to the new single – an acoustic piano version of another new track is attached to caress your ears released. ‘Open Road’ is a romantically evocative ballad welcoming us to the versatility achieved by these four whilst demanding open-mindedness regarding their capabilities.
Coming back with a punk-esque single attached to an acoustic ballad boldly reinstates The Brookes return and this return will not go unnoticed.
Written by Mica Rae
