Single Review: Torture and The Desert Spiders - Blood On The Reef

                                         

 Nature and nuture is a debate as old as time itself, yet it still rumbles on without any sign of stopping. Is everything we do - either good or bad - a result of our upbringing or the places we live and the things we learn along the way? It's a debate for a reason, both will inevitably have their say. There's no doubt however that environment has an influence. 

One of the best-selling novels of all time is Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities. The intro to the book is often cited as one of best ever written, certainly in Western fiction:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

It's a sweeping epic that tells the story of protagonist Manette who spends two wildly differing lives in Paris and London; he's imprisoned in Paris at the horror of the Bastille for 18 years before the French Revoluion and after his release, moves to London to be re-united with his daughter who he has never met. There's much more to it that that obviously, but I'm trying to creative a lazy narrative here okay? 

That's why Dickens is so revered and I'm blogging about pop music. He had a fascinating wonky beard too you know: I mean, just look at that beauty. 

The pull of the places we dwell is not lost of Anna Kunz. A songwriter brought up and chanelling influences such as Sinead O'Connor, Bob Dylan, Wilco and Patti Smith, Kunz grew up in New York. She moved to London to study and when trying to find a way of staying in the UK she moved to Liverpool to study at LIPA. Moving to a city with such musical heritage - that lives and breathes pop music - was a catalyst to start the project that was to become Torture and the Desert Spiders.  Need I mention The Beatles? I just did. 

Forming the band with college friend Clara Cicely on bass/backing vocals and Max Meunier on drums, it was only a matter of time that Kunz's songs started getting the attention they deserved. Producing punchy indie rock anthems with confessional lyrics and a leftfield garage approach, the band were well received by critics and as a result toured extensively in the UK and Europe, as well as getting festival slots, most notably at Kendall Calling. 

Life being life though, things were about to change for Kunz.  Circumstances changed and she made the difficult decision to leave Liverpool and return to her native NYC. You may have thought that would end the project entirely and a fresh start would be needed for all involved? You'd be wrong.

New single 'Blood on the Reef' is the first since Kunz returned home in 2023 and was recorded with Cicely in both Liverpool and New York over the course of the year. It's a single that fizzles with conflicting energies as the protagonist tries to find her way between the best of times and the worst of times. It may be a universal theme, but it's got to be done well. 

The track enters with a drum beat that sounds ominous, almost a pre-cursor to the rising blood pressure of the verse. The guitar and bass arrive and keep this underlying feeling very much alive. The lyrics match the mood that has been established by this point with Kunz apprehensive about the future and trying to find an even keel:

I'm scared and getting scarder

To figure out what hurts the most and give it an answer.

The bridge shifts the focus slightly to a softer approach and the chorus is a much more cathartic affair, with Kunz's powerful and soulful vocal soaring over the top. The verse may well have lead you to think this was more post Grunge miserablism, but the chorus is pure Pop. As the track ends, the vocals are tested to their limits and Kunz's voice cracks at the strain, but it feels natural and beautiful rather than unpleasant and jarring, accentuating the release of emotion. The tracks fades with a simple repeated phrase that leaves both artist and listener gasping for air.

Give it an answer

I'll give you an answer.

Circumstances change and sometimes that's a difficult thing to navigate and requires leaving to start again. Manette found it in A Tale of Two Cities, Anna Kunz has found it and the conflicting thoughts and emotions this brings is not easy to iron out, but the journey is just as important. Keep producing such thoughtful, insightful and intelligent pop music as this  and this modern tale of two differing, but similar cities could easily create another classic to cling to.