Leeds seems to be a city with quality bands crawling out of its every alleyway right now. Battle Lines’ have been around for a while in a variety of guises, but their official debut is a real dark pop treasure.
Carly Humphries’ powerful yet vulnerable vocals are exceptional here, falling somewhere between Florence Welch and Kate Bush on the spectrum. ‘Wildlife’ and the title track showcase it at its best, while ‘Sea of Fear’ introduces a more dark, electronic vibe in the vein of Curve. Wildlife is the first track to be released from Leeds band Battle Lines debut album ‘Primal’.
Carly described how it came about “Wildlife” came from an idea Luke and I penned in my room. Musically it’s represents a lighter part of the album and for me it was a turning point lyrically. We wrote it toward the end of the album sessions, the record charts a tough period of time culminating in a destructive relationship. Wildlife marked the moment in the writing process where I realised that I’d moved on, and all that anger no longer weighed so heavily on my shoulders. Its essence comes from the things that start so well but slowly turn toxic; however hard you try to take it back to the magic of when it started, some things should be left to rest.
If driving rhythms and gazey riffs are more your thing, ‘Smother’ is likely to be your go-to track, and the haunting ‘Skull’ is another peak point.
It’s an accomplished first full-length record from the four-piece which, in the best way possible, doesn’t sound like a debut.
The Fat Angel Sings 