The Blinders’ ‘Columbia’ is an astonishingly powerful debut, placing the band as the new face of rock and roll.

Inspired by local heroes Arctic Monkeys, the Doncaster-born and Manchester-based trio The Blinders detail their frustrations with our post-modern society.

Debut albums can often be difficult to perfect. Whilst some debuts never quite live up to their expectations, some are so well crafted that it can define a bands’ career. The Blinders have done the latter with their first full-length, ‘Columbia’.

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The Doncaster-trio, now based in Manchester, have crafted a thrilling debut. Loosely based around the concept of ‘Columbia’ being an “alternate world informed by reality”, The Blinders have positioned themselves as a highly-politically charged guitar band.

Abrasively opening the record with ‘Gotta Get Through’, the explosive drums and heavy riffs prepare for the rest of the album’s ferocity. Combining 60’s Rock and roll with punk-infused hooks, ‘Columbia’ addresses the frustrations with Britain’s current political and economic woes. The snarling guitars on the brooding ‘Hate Song’ and the gritty ‘Brave New World’ stand out as modern rock masterpieces.

Intertwining Orwell’s most famous literary protagonist on ‘Ballad of Winston Smith’, the band tackle the issues of a post-modern society with the lyrics “hookwinked society… foxhunt the refugee”. It’s these comments which subconsciously offer a glimmer of hope for the future.

Despite clocking in 12 songs in just over 42 minutes, ‘Columbia’ never rushes its narrative. Constantly proving that rock and roll is most definitely still alive and well, The Blinders have returned the hope that rock and politics can go hand in hand. With hints of the ‘Stones, The Smiths and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, it’s quite hard to not deem ‘Columbia’ as one of the most influential albums of 2018. It’s a definitive, well-polished record from a young, promising band who stand for something much more.

‘Columbia’ by The Blinders is out now – get it here: Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon Music | The Blinders online store