BLUES PILLS: Birthday (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After four (too) long years of silence, Blues Pills finally deliver their fourth opus. The cover of “Birthday” features singer Elin Larsson surrounded by her three bandmates. The way she places her hand on her belly leaves no doubt as to the happy event she is expecting.

The detail is not insignificant, as it may explain the optimistic energy and gentleness radiating from the successor to “Holy Molly!”, from which it departs sharply. “Birthday” is as luminous as its predecessor was raucous, a consequence of the turbulence that shook the band after "Lady In Gold" (2016). It would also be tempting to see this new opus as a feminist manifesto. The title track, which recounts a sexist and uncomfortable experience Elin had on her birthday, might indeed suggest this. But the Swedes prefer a positive approach.

But that doesn't mean their music is devoid of its customary battle-spirit, exemplified by the more direct, rhythmic tracks. The first half of the menu is full of these frenzied songs, from the inaugural 'Birthday' to the stirring 'Don't You Love It'. 'Bad Choices' and 'Piggyback Ride' are also full of pulsating fever, but with a blues-rock feel, whether swaying (on the former) or creeping (on the latter), reminding us that Blues Pills is never as good as when it lets its soul and seventies influences explode, without also filing its claws.

It's a pity, however, that the mellower, otherwise superb compositions are concentrated in a second half that robs “Birthday” of some of its intensity, which would have deserved to be better balanced. 'Somebody Better', 'Shadows', soaked in the vicious waters of the Bayous, 'I Don't Wanna Get Back On That Horse Again' and 'What has This Life Done You' are certainly perfectly executed, underlining that Elin Larsson remains one of the most gifted singers in a blues-rock register that's both fluffy and emotional.

So “Birthday” may disappoint die-hard fans, but it reveals a band in full possession of its resources, brighter and more fulfilled than ever. - Official website

BLUES PILLS

BIRTHDAY

BMG

ROCK