There is an unspoken initial abandon of a sudden debut release that allows a band to formulate an early identifiable sound away from the expectations of an audience. Plymouth’s Blowouts are no exception to the rule delivering ‘A Veteran of Sorts’, an early glimpse into the infancy phase of the post-punk outfit.

’A Veteran Of Sorts’ has all of the dark gritty nuances of post-punk that regularly dwells within the territory, familiar to acts such as Interpol and the distinct macabre demeanour of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. A consistent sharp sound is evident throughout, however tends to wear thin to become predictable after the first half of the record.

A Veteran of Sorts by Blowouts

’Peace Talks’ is compact with tension, with the classic punk muted thuds building pressure only ceasing momentarily to paralyzing guitar bends that ensures listeners are as vulnerable as frontman Brad Sherman as he suggests he is, “A perfect little target a clay pigeon cracked loose and still wet.” However, these moments are few and far between the linear drone of the title track and ’Kill Your Darlings’ that strips the record of its potential.

’A Veteran Of Sorts’ is plagued with a constant motion of high octane moments and even more intense levels of lacklustre, however the record again indicates the band are in an infancy phase who still yield a certain promise.

2.5/5

’A Veteran of Sorts’ by Blowouts is out now.

Blowouts links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Aaron Akeredolu (@boymostlikelyto)