EP Review – Blue Bendy – Breaking Glass Magazine

Blue Bendy – Motorbike

Motorbike is the new debut EP of South London sextet Blue Bendy – a glorious exploration of experimentation, that weaves through so many great aspects of music it’s hard to really pin it down – then again, was music ever meant to be pinned down?

The EP begins strong, with Spring 100: the closest the band will get to a consistent sound. A waning bass along with some near minimalist percussion brings a steady atmosphere, that only elevates through the brilliant range of tones on display – from lifting flute melodies to wheezing guitars. Even the vocalist, Arthur Nolan, brings an engaging range of potential influences, from pre-Morrissey Morrissey to (and in saying this I fear a sigh of repetition from the number of times they must hear this) Alex Rice.

So many styles manage to interweave within one another, and yet the band never feel stale – never rehashing new ground. Clean is Core provides new energy in a backbeat, train-chugging rhythm, which itself blends so well with shifts into effervescence, with backing vocals and a lo-fi guitar shift, matched with artificial, yet oddly beautiful, strings.

Even with the use of similarly coating synths and backing vocals in next track A Celebration, Blue Bendy find new ground, letting the phrase “I’m no longer on my baby’s mind” and its mild despondence deliver another descent within a funkily energetic song.

A strong personal highlight comes in Settling: Cool, where the band’s style is perfectly emanated within just 3 minutes. From its calm-yet-tense opening, with extraterrestrial sounds, we explode into an eclectic mix of jumping chords, leaping vocals and drums that skip along, never being contained in the rhythm. Occasional grand atmospheres give Nolan’s lyrics (i.e. “My dad is a spaceship”) a glow, bringing an even larger impact that fades in and out on a whim.

As we are brought in and out of a melancholic mid-8, the stakes have somehow never been higher. The song and the EP end with the heaviest of the band’s style, bringing all aspects together in a clashing finale that helps to show the band’s strong potential for the future.

Listen to Motorbike below and purchase on Bandcamp