On their previous single ‘Cobweb’, Bristol based rock band Chasing Dolls managed to blend indie guitar lines with a post hardcore aggressiveness resulting in something that, although rather angular, served up an interesting arrangement. The track came with a very abrasive vocal that mightn’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it certainly marked out the band as one to keep an ear for in future.

Their follow up single ‘Blood Moon’ initially hints at a different set of influences when it opens with a clean sounding solo guitar weaving a melody that hints more at a love for 80s goth, but a punchy drum sound quickly telegraphs a move into more of a 90s emo/post hardcore sound. This really comes into its own on a verse that allows a dark melody to jostle against a deep vocal, and also during instrumental bridges where hefty bass sounds take the lead. For those who loved ‘Cobwebs’, however, the track also has an aggressive edge that already feels familiar courtesy of a really emotive vocal that, in places, almost sounds on the point of breakdown, but really taps into the band’s post-hardcore interests.

This isn’t big on obvious vocal hooks, or even an immediate chorus. What it lacks there, it makes up for with riffs, and whether exploring a deep and moody relative quiet, or exploding in a retro emo blaze, ‘Blood Moon’ is a track that really shows off this still new band’s sense of the theatrical.

Take a listen below.