“Feel the earth move. Flowers in bloom.”
Following up the astonishing LP, Modern Escapism, that Blanket put out nearly two years ago, Blue Eyes is the outfit’s first project under the label Church Road Records. Joining the likes of Slow Crush and Mouthbreather, the quartet prove their ability and versatility with this excellent EP. Having only been familiar with their most recent album, my expectations were for the EP to have a similar atmosphere, and to maybe extend, or even try to improve on that former sound. Within the initial five seconds of the first track, my assumption was challenged promptly.
Title track and lead single, “Blue Eyes” opens this collection of songs with a very distinct sound for the group. My first impression of it was to make the immediate comparison to the distinguished band Teenage Wrist, but that may have been due to the recency of my enjoyment with their new album. The declaration that Blanket are exploring a post-grunge sound occurs within the very first riff of this cut. Apart from needing to rewind the song with a new set of ears, I found it both delightful and bold of them to circumvent doubling down on the spacious shoegaze sound that was certainly working for them previously.
I adore Modern Escapism for the kind of ambiance and climate the record places its listeners in, but on “Blue Eyes”, I found that there is a greater deal of consideration put into the melodic aspects. This is true for the entire project. The hook on this single is phenomenal, and the emphasis on the vocals for this EP is something I definitely didn’t know I wanted, but am so grateful to experience. If anyone was wondering if Blanket could write an effortless and memorable hook, the answer is an unequivocal ‘yes’.
In fact, Blanket are well aware of this because they follow up this amazing opener with the intriguing and confident decision to cover the diamond-certified single, “I Fall Apart” by Post Malone. Considering how overplayed this song has been since its release, Blanket manages to breathe new life into this nearly worn out song. They take this cut from Post Malone, drench it in a new layer of melancholy, and issue a ballad at the quality level of a typical Sleep Token cover. The addition of acoustic guitar to this cover is what really seals the deal. Although this is my least favorite track on the entire EP, the emotional drive, production, and passionate vocals are undeniably fantastic.
Going into this work, I was most excited for the cover of “Climbing Up The Walls” by the one and only Radiohead. This is one of my favorite Radiohead songs, so to hear it get covered by Blanket made me both eager and nervous. A reimagining of any work is always a difficult feat, and one that can be misguided easily. This song has a very eerie atmosphere and an essence to it that is tremendously difficult to recapture, but Blanket makes a virtually flawless attempt at this.
Opening this song with practically pure piano and poignant vocals is just one of the many audacious choices Blanket makes on this EP. They don’t rely on background noise to create the environment that Radiohead intended, and yet it works in their favor. Opting to showcase Bobby Pook’s vocal ability is a choice always well made. Blanket’s take on the iconic chorus of this cover experiments with a smoother, and maybe even a groovier vibe, which the original does not have. By extracting the main vocal for each “I’ll be there” gives the track a catchier quality, as opposed to the overwhelmingly emotional style that Radiohead strives for. However, by employing an additional chorus instead of the traditional outro, Blanket allow themselves room to expand on the emotional strain that this cut has always maintained. This provides a larger-than-life attribute that doesn’t feel forced, and realizes the song with an outro that I may even prefer to its precursor. In short, this is a perfect cover of “Climbing Up The Walls” that cannot be compared in terms of experience; both being completely unique and valuable.
Instrumental tracks, especially on shorter projects, are frequently hit or miss for me. Fortunately, Blanket have reached a level of instrumental mastery to a point where they know how to convey a particular emotion without the need for a voice. With “In The House, In A Heartbeat (28 Days Later)”, this is still absolutely the case. This cut builds to an almost uncomfortable point before actually reaching its apex, releasing the tension in a way that is satisfying and thought-provoking. Aiden Baldwin’s drumming is intentional and critical for the purpose of this track. He takes this instrumental from appearing as part of a horror movie track list to becoming a horror movie. Miraculously, this track remains interesting and inexhaustive, even while standing at nearly five minutes.
Blanket show their instrumental side with their cover of “In The House, In A Heartbeat”, the infamous soundtrack from 2002, 28 Days Later. In performing this, Blanket have reached a level of instrumental skill where the emotion of the track is conveyed in a sublime and fitting manner. Aiden Baldwin’s drumming is intentional and critical for the purpose of this track, he lead instrumentality on this track and gives the true feel of a horror movie that “In The House, In A Heartbeat” once conveyed.
Ending Blue Eyes on “Ghost Note”, the third and final single, feels almost imperative after the intensity that the last track presents. The influence of Radiohead on this band is prominent in the tear-jerking, melodic progressions, and even the vocal stylistic choices this cut makes. Blanket creates a calming yet consistently stimulating journey by straying from a traditional song structure, utilizing deliberately placed breaks, and implementing varying instrumental passages, such as the tastefully sporadic piano near the halfway point. Although it took me a few listens to latch onto, this cut rapidly became my favorite, and I see it only blossoming further with time as there are so many special moments to appreciate.
As a shorter project, Blue Eyes works to effectively demonstrate the adaptability and exceeding potential that Blanket embodies. While this project isn’t necessarily incohesive, it exists more as a sampler for the different paths that Blanket would possibly like to embark on, and surely as a creative work born out of a palpable love for music in different forms. I would love to see the band take the original tracks of this album and develop them into full albums that explore similar ideas while still evolving them to fit a roughly forty minute endeavour. There is a remarkable amount of work to be played with here and to leave it untouched would be a disservice. With that being said, I have no doubt that whatever these four have planned will be just as exceptional as this five track effort.
8/10
Blue Eyes is out September 1st via Church Road Records, and can be pre-ordered here.