ALBUM REVIEW: Air Drawn Dagger – A Guide For Apparitions (Long Branch Records)
Sheffield trio Air Drawn Dagger are a band I’ve watched with interest since I first saw them live, supporting Millie Manders And The Shut Up, a couple of years ago.
They’ve been together about 10 years, and had a string of digital singles, an EP and a mixtape to their name before releasing this debut album.
ADD describe themselves as an ‘electro-emo angst-pop’ trio, which shows how difficult they are to pigeonhole. There’s lots of influences in their sound, from punk to post-hardcore, and goth to indie-pop.
Guitarist Lewis Budden and vocalist Maisie Manterfield began writing songs in the back of a cake shop before winning over diverse crowds, from old punks to young couples, with their big hooks, melancholic riffs and earnest emotion.
Adding Ross Dore on drums, they have become a powerhouse of a band, even without a bass player. Their name, taken from Macbeth, symbolises the chaos and emotional outbursts that fuel their music.
Bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Paramore are an obvious influence, and Maisie certainly has the voice and presence to be just as good a frontwoman as Hayley, but although they’ll appeal to emo kids, there’s more to them than that.
A Guide For Apparitions sees them delve deep into a world which is dark, dense, macabre and just a little unsettling; check out some of the song titles – Cadavers, Skinwalkers and Necromancer. The band embrace not fitting in, and it’s a record which explores mystical and supernatural themes.
The lyrics are full of gory imagery. Take Castle, where Maisie sings: “I wish your heart would stop/I wish your veins would rot/I hope that parasites fill your brain.” Charming, especially when she seems such a nice lass.
For me, the standout track is the closer, Bellyaches, shared as the fourth single just prior to the album’s release.
An ode to getting into a mess with your mates but believing it’ll be okay in the end, it’s completely different in mood to what’s gone before, and a welcome shade of light after so much darkness. 7/10.
- A Guide For Apparitions by Air Drawn Dagger is available on CD and digitally. Check it out on their Bandcamp page HERE.
