Pip Blom - Grip

After dipping their toes into the synth-pop pool on 2023’s ‘Bobbie’, Pip Blom have cannonballed back with tightly-coiled new EP, ‘Grip’. Written and recorded by Pip, Tender Blom and Darek Mercks in a home studio cocoon, this five-track effort finds the band at their most self-assured - and perhaps their most restless, too. ‘Ring’ is a glittery detour from the band’s indie-rock blueprint, pulsing with bright electronics and an emotional throb that feels raw and intentional. Opener ‘Temporary Love’ also leans into these newfound experimentations from the get-go, with bold drum patterns and synth layers that drive the track forward with intent.

Inspired in part by a set of remixes from 2021’s ‘Welcome Break’, here the band dive even deeper into shimmering, club-adjacent territory. The hooks are still recognisably Pip - relatable, buoyant, a little bruised - but now they’re draped in glossy synth textures. There’s an emotional urgency here, particularly on the slow-burning ‘Drift’, that cuts through even as the more energetic tracks glisten with dancefloor-ready polish. Where ‘Welcome Break’ felt like a band growing into themselves, ‘Grip’ sees Pip Blom stretching out, pushing edges without ever losing what makes them tick: confessional songwriting, earworm melodies and a quietly beating heart beneath the surface noise.