Chain of Flowers have taken a melting pot of influences to make this debut. There’s a mixture of 80s English nu-wave and hard edged American post punk at the core, built up on layers of angst and distance.
Songs like Single ‘Crisis’ seem shot through with subtle gothic influence, think The Cure or the Jesus and Mary Chain, rather than Marilyn Manson and you’ve got it. There’s a simple bass and sparse guitar with half lamenting/half whispered vocals and a guitar hook that feels like shafts of light being let into a dark room.
‘Glimmers of Joy’ feels more like a love letter to factory records and mid 80’s Manchester music scene. There are disco-paced drumbeats making the dirge-like homophonic vocals sound almost like an alternative dancefloor filler. ‘Follow’ also feels similarly paced for dancing, but crashing under a rising tide of static and feedback.
Chain of Flowers have created an admirable tribute to the bands they love, and while it is very well executed, it feels like a group of actors playing a character. If there’s one thing we’d like to see, its them step out from behind the masks, but this is really enjoyable stuff. It’s dark, but where the surface cracks there are glimpses of real gold underneath.
3.5/5
Chain of Flowers by Chain Of Flowers is released on 16th October on Alter.
Chain of Flowers links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Words by Heather Robertson (@thecuriosity)
