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Sports Team, Colleen Green, Hinds
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Neo-Britpop
" Fuzzy, cool-smart indie bringing Britpop into the 21st Century "
Her dad Erwin might have helmed 80s post-punk outfit Eton Crop and recorded sessions for legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel, but it’s an entirely different type of music that informs the work of 25-year-old Amsterdam native Pip Blom. “Old Blur and Oasis records” are what were played in her house growing up, alongside other Britpop luminaries such as Pulp, and it’s from these she takes inspiration. Little wonder, then, that Blom’s two albums to date combine solid indie-pop and soaring melodies with a little fuzz and aggression.
Debut album ‘Boat’ had a catchiness and easy charm that was fun and infectious; headline tours, awards, acclaim, and major radio play unsurprisingly followed. There was a rambling, hazy quality to the record, Blom narrating songs about distraction and isolation over the scruffy chug of guitars. It’s a formula that’s repeated on new album ‘Welcome Break’; youthful melodrama played out over breezy indie-pop and fuzzed-out riffs that occasionally dip into grunge territory. Yet there’s a newfound spark here, a self-belief and confidence that gives everything extra bounce.
“It’s definitely more polished, and less DIY,” Blom’s said of ‘Welcome Break’, adding that they really wanted to “let the songs speak for themselves”. There’s a lot to be said for this approach; there’s a depth to Blom’s songwriting that requires little in the way of embellishment or overdubs, a rare thing indeed. ‘Boat’ signaled that Pip Blom were very much one to watch; now they’re fulfilling their promise, and look set to continue their ascent to indie’s top table.
Check out Pip Blom’s interview with Europavox !