Clubs. are reaching a whole new level with "Bleed" - it's the first sign that unlike The 1975, Clubs. have the alternative freedom to outlast being labelled emo. Since the Leicester based quintet debuted with "Carry You" in 2013, Clubs. have been on a train of development. But it's not a typical 'indie rock rise' which tends to be a social media campaign, or a pallet of mediocre tracks for a few hardcore fans. Clubs. take the essence of post-punk atmosphere and match it with the delicacy and innocence of the math rock / indie rock hybrids.
The opening two minutes of "Bleed" sound more akin to The National and Warpaint, than the latter three minutes of pop free form Foals-esque material - including a rather audacious finale which pays of immensely for their efforts in the studio. "Bleed" singles out Clubs. as an artist to watch out for in the coming few years, not because of their local heritage to my home of Leicester, but because of their sheer grassroots talent and optimism towards creating the best possible song. And "Bleed" is a seriously good one, you could strip back the hazy guitars and elements previously unheard would smash forward - such as the truly fabulous vocal delivery by Cj Pandit, and Chris Cox's textured percussion. It all comes together so easily on "Bleed", and it architects a statement I’m sure local labels and bigger labels further afield are thinking - let’s see what they can do next.
~Eddie Gibson
