Blonde Otter – Blonde Otter 2
New York City indie rock outfit Blonde Otter is releasing their captivating sophomore album, Blonde Otter 2, nearly five years after their first. While the group’s first effort captured the optimism one feels during young adulthood, their second is more defiant and tense. Covering themes like the lack of time for what once was, inflation, and relationship fatigue, Blonde Otter 2 is an exceptional album well-worth your attention. The album opener, “Paper Trails,” features dissonant ambience that sets the phones ablaze before calculated grunge extinguishes the noise. The bass tone allows for two different applications: one muddy, the other slapping you in the face. The main riff, played by both the guitar and bass, is super catchy, and the crafted sound of the synthesizer is reminiscent of early Mortal Kombat (in a good way). The icy structure of song two, “Dissolution,” is blasted apart by an explosion of[...]