After releasing a myriad of popular singles and well received EPs, Soul Blind has arrived with their latest full length album, Feel It All Around. The highly anticipated album, produced by grammy nominated, Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive), at Studio 4 Records, matches the band’s previous consistent emotionally charged energy, yet also presents a new era of maturity, through the growth of their sound.
It’s hard to believe this is the band’s first full length release. Hailing from Hudson Valley, New York, the four piece group erupted onto the scene back in 2018, with two EP releases, “Willpower,” and “Untitled.” Both of these proved to be a memorable introduction to the band’s heavy grunge style approach to their music. They soon released, what would be their coveted and popular single, “Crawling Into You,” at the tail end of 2019, which as we know, was the beginning of what would be a long two years of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic left all creatives in a state of panic, as live events and touring came to a complete halt, with no foreseeable timeline of returning to what was once “regular life.” Artists create music in hopes of human connection and to share like minded experiences with those who have encountered similar hardships or situations. Touring is a critical part of this equation. Soul Blind decided to make the best of the situation and do what they do bet — bottle up their emotional strain and turn it into art. After all, isn’t that what makes the best kind of music?
Environment became more influential this time around, on the band’s writing style. With being forced to stay in one place, they channeled their solitude and created an album that was reflective of day to day struggles and internal conflicts throughout navigating the pandemic. The people we once were at the start of the pandemic, are often not who we’ve become present day. “System (Failing),” harps on this topic and the change we see in someone we once knew. Sometimes there is nothing one can do to salvage a relationship. The constant state of flux in life is inevitable, but it surely has accelerated over these past few years.
Feel It All Around, kicks off with the powerful and heavy, “Seventh Hell,” that sets the tone for what is yet to come. It’s emotionally charged and everything needed to start out on the right foot. The first single released, “Stuck in a Loop,” follows shortly after and immediately the listener is transcended to a 90s grunge fever dream, that hopefully will never end. It’s almost an unsettling track, with a constant ringing heard throughout, in which by the end of the song, it still continues playing in your mind long after. Spoiler alert: “Stuck in a Loop,” does end, but it segways directly into “Tribe,” a continuation of distorted guitar riffs, carried by a steady baseline that keeps the progression of the song alive.
“Sparkle,” is one of my favorite tracks, and the penultimate of the album. It’s more mellow than the rest. Between the steady heartbeat of the drums to the dizzy and mesmerizing guitar riffs — you’ll be thinking about this one long after listening to it.
Soul Blind’s personal growth as a band is well executed and presented throughout all of Feel It All Around. It’s an excellent continuation of their sound and even a transition into experimenting with contrasting styles and exploring new areas of their diverging sound, that they haven’t had the chance to yet.
Feel It All Around, is out now!
Soul Blind is currently touring through Europe and the UK, but have a few shows planned back in the states before the holiday season approaches. Make sure to catch them live if you can!
Listen to the new album from Soul Blind on Bandcamp and Spotify below.
