The Blanche Hudson Weekend - Hate Is A Loaded Gun EP

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Brett on Thu 24 Jun, 2010.

The covers for this band's stuff always kinda reminds me of The Smiths' covers and the sound they conjure on the first track here could be described as sounding something vaguely like them, only crossed with classic girl groups and lo-fi'd to the max. The distant female vocals get our full attention on the bleak Marble Index/Desertshore/The End-era Nico job of 'So Sick', built on accordion sounds and lacking any guitars whatsoever. On the flip you got's yer 'Song For Kristen' which takes Nico back to The Velvets for one more go around. A tidy single which is far rangier than the other of the band's releases I've heard.

Limited edition 7" single (500 copies) . The Blanche Hudson Weekend keep the releases coming with this, their 3rd single so far. First up was The Letters To Daddy 7" EP in November last year, next came The Rats In The Cellar 7" EP in April, and now we have the Hate Is A Loaded Gun 7" EP featuring 3 brand new tracks. Let Me Go may be the poppiest track the band have recorded so far and makes a perfect partner for their earlier track, Crying Shame, which appeared on the debut 7". Let Me Go is just over 2 minutes of 1960s garage girl group influenced summer pop fuzz, and is guaranteed to have you hitting the dance floor. It's an irresistible Shangri Las meets The Shirelles treat, but still served up without too much polish which keeps the garage-y edge fully intact. In stark (and we do emphasise the word stark here) contrast, So Sick is easily the bleakest thing the band have recorded so far. Heavily influenced by Nico, this track features no guitars, but is instead stripped down to just harmonium, thudding bass note hits, the clatter and scrape of metal and Caroline McChrystal's haunting vocal. The final track, Song For Kristen, is a beautiful and soaring Velvet Underground inspired gem that is surely destined to become a favourite among fans of the band. More than anything The Blanche Hudson Weekend has released so far, the Hate Is A Loaded Gun EP displays the musical range of what this band are capable of delivering, and is bound to leave listeners eager to hear more, whilst simultaneously leaving them unsure of just exactly what may be coming next.