ALBUM REVIEW: Fast Blood – Sunny Blunts (Sangre Rapida Records)
Sunny Blunts – named after a housing estate in post-war new town Peterlee in County Durham – is the debut album by North East indie punks Fast Blood.
Consisting of Abi Barlow (vocals), Dave Hillier (guitar), Kris Brunsden (bass) and Dave Allen (drums), they make a right fucking racket which fuses elements of hardcore. ’90s emo and even a tough of garage rock!
Formed in 2019, they’ve been on my radar since their very first gig, when they supported Durham DIY punk legends Martha at the album release show for their Love Comes Kicking album.
They released a couple of digital-only singles before making their physical debut with a limited edition cassette-only EP in 2021, and I caught them live again last year when they supported Bruise Control in Newcastle (reviewed here).
Recorded and mixed by Chris McManus at Blank Studios in Newcastle, Sunny Blunts is a furious howl of an album which announces their arrival in no uncertain terms over nine tracks, which are all killer and no filler as Fast Blood lay down a relentless sonic barrage.
There’s so many hooks I had to check there’s only one guitarist, and Hillier should take a bow, as his power and precision are truly impressive. Barlow’s vocals are uplifting and infectious, and the bludgeoning rhythm section is driven by a relatively recent recruit in drummer Allen, who has spent many years in hardcore bands like Voorhees and Natterers.
The album kicks off in blistering fashion with lead single Sexual Healing, a three-minute slice of female lust and empowerment which sees Abi demanding “I know I’ve got what you’re looking for/What are you waiting, what are you waiting for?”
Salvation, released as a single just before the album came out, is more melodic, as Abi’s distinctive voice soars, swoops and occasionally screams, but always makes itself heard over the hardcore-edged cacophony around her.
I was pleased to see Pulling Teeth, a single a couple of years ago, make the cut, as it’s one of Fast Blood’s best songs. A message to a toxic boyfriend, it pulls no punches as it fumes: “You only want me around/When you’ve got no one there to fuck/Is that all I was to you?”
Small Town sees the band get more political, calling out “narrow-minded fucking scum” whose hate is fuelled by the right-wing press, and it’s another fast-paced slice of energetic punk rock – do you see a bit of a theme emerging here?
Hold On Me seems to be a tale of fragile mental health which ends with Abi bellowing: “I think I’m losing it!”, while Eyes Wide Shut is Fast Blood’s take on how society seems to be going down the pan, and ends with the singer howling “I can’t take this any more, aaaaagh!”
Title track Sunny Blunts brings the album’s one real change of pace, which makes for a wistful and thought-provoking closer. A nostalgic look back at the place where Abi grew up, it’s a love letter to a run-down estate full of “broken glass like shattered dreams” and “flat roofs in the night sky”, but “it still feels like home”. Great stuff. 8.5/10.
- Sunny Blunts by Fast Blood is out now on all good digital platforms, including their Bandcamp page HERE. A limited edition coloured vinyl edition will be available in June/July on Sangre Rapida Records, which stepped in after their original label went belly up!
