Label: Heavenly Recordings
Released: 20th October 2023
It’s clear that with their third album ‘Bobbie’, Pip Blom intended us to have a good time. Filled back-to-back with danceworthy bangers, the collection welcomes us into a new era of the band: one that’s carefree, lighthearted, and unapologetically synth-heavy.
That isn’t to say that the classic indie-rock sound that Pip Blom are best known for has been lost, though. Guitar and synth melodies meld smoothly together such as in opener ‘Not Tonight’, a track whose guitars are distorted and grungy. There’s a lot of fun to be had on ‘Tiger’ and ‘I Can Be Your Man’ – with heavy use of synths giving them a bubbly, feel good energy. The latter also flourishes into a more instrument-heavy sound as the song progresses, making for an exciting build that’s easy to imagine translating well live.
The energetic ‘Where’d You Get My Number’ is an automatic floor filler, and ‘Is This Love’ feels like a particular highlight – a giddy, disco funk track which also features Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. The album’s twelve tracks are filled with a real sonic brightness and vibrancy, even if at times the instrumentals are minimal; and closer ‘7 Weeks’ tops it all off with its stomping beat and anthemic lyrics.
‘Bobbie’ certainly appears to signify a sort of sonic revolution for Pip Blom, and it’s exciting to imagine what’s to come.
