Du Blonde - Sniff More Gritty

The dual strengths of ‘Sniff More Gritty’, the fourth album as Du Blonde from the North East singer-songwriter Beth Jeans Houghton, come from the artist’s knack for writing a killer hook, and an astute way of choosing their collaborators. The former runs the length of the record, in particular on grungy opener ‘Perfect’, through to the gang vocals of ‘TV Star’ and the power pop of ‘Dollar Coffee’. With the latter, they’ve hit a masterstroke. Starting at home, The Futureheads’ Ross Millard and Paul Smith of Maximo Park join in on ‘Radio Jesus’ to form a sort of North East indie holy trinity. ‘Next Big Thing’ - possibly the record’s biggest moment, with a ‘90s inspired huge chorus pierced by visceral gnarl - features a turn from Skin, with the song’s lyrical theme (misogynistic comments received over the course of her career thus far) being echoed in the way the Skunk Anansie frontwoman steps in, almost as backup, as she makes her appearance. 

And even smarter still is the contribution of Laura Jane Grace on the angsty ‘Solitary Individual’. This feature first complements the record’s American slant; its grungy indie rock is closer to OG emo, slacker and college rock than anything this side of the Atlantic. And, considering the song’s message of ‘us against the world’ (“I am a solitary individual / I know exactly who I am”) alongside the Against Me! frontwoman’s status as a trans rock pioneer and Du Blonde’s own non-binary identity, the layers can thus be peeled off one by one. There are points here where it threatens to remain a little samey – the ‘80s radio pop of ‘Yesterday’ quickly becomes repetitive, while ‘ICU’ hints at something more yet never quite gets going – but mostly ‘Sniff More Gritty’ is another solid release.