So this was a nice little surprise find!
Paris rockers That Blond B!tch will instantly grab your attention with their new 8-track release ‘The Beast‘. With a sound that takes the snarly side of ’90s alt-rock, some metallic stoner stomp, a little Cramps noise, and the spirit of the riot grrrl movement, the 8-tracks here are a Frankenstein’s monster of raw energy with a thunderous guitar attack and a glammy swagger, all stitched together with the infectious voice of Mado.
Things kick off with ‘Head Spin‘ a punchy fuzzed-up garage rocker with a downright dirty riff. It sets the tone and in one song guitarist Nico sounds like he is well-schooled in grunge, garage, and metal. ‘Shout Baby Shout‘ rages like IDLES at the beginning but quickly turns into a hooky metallic gem that sounds like vintage Girlschool. This is a KILLER track! ‘Cigarettes‘ with its dinosaur stomp, is only tamed by Mado’s melodious vocals.
The 90s are alive and well over the next three tracks: ‘Good Girl‘ with its L7 crunch, the grungey ballad ‘The Herd‘ and the sonic blast of ‘Smash & Shatter‘, that sounds something like Veruca Salt played through blown-out speakers. The aptly named title track is a muscular flex with crashing drums and a wall of doomy guitars and the dirty glam noise of ‘Horror Town‘ closes things out.
It’s such a rush finding great new tunes like this. Out now on River Monster Records.
Vocals: Mado
Bass: Alice
Drums: Madeleine
Guitar: Nico