Beautiful Bodies seem to have popped up out of nowhere, even though vocalist Alicia Solombrino and guitarist Thomas Becker first crossed paths five years ago. But since last year, they’ve been keeping incredibly busy; they’ve signed to Epitaph Records, toured with the likes of Paramore, Emarosa, and PVRIS, played Vans Warped Tour and SXSW, before entering the studio with renowned producer John Feldmann to produce ‘Battles’. On top of all this, Becker was in Bolivia, suing the former president for massacring protestors. Pretty impressive stuff.
‘Captured and Released’ bursts with blistering energy; burning guitar licks and stormy drum work come together to create a meteoric track. ‘Lies’ is a powerful punch, while ‘September 1973’ is vibrant and dynamic. Then there’s ‘Good Luck and Good Night’, which shows off a colossal chorus; it’s one that’ll get crowds climbing over one another to sing along to this with Alicia.
Tracks such as ‘She’s a Blast’ are frenzied, exploding with a plethora of powerful riffs and wild drum work, and sees Alicia’s dramatic vocals soar. Alicia constantly proves herself as a fantastic vocalist over and over; ‘Animals’ demonstrates her rich and vibrant vocals in a fast-paced, frenzied and energetic environment, whilst closer ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ shows that she can wind things down and give a heart-tugging performance with emotional lyrics, such as, “And no one will hurt me the way that you did.”
‘Battles’ is an unapologetically loud release, with some flaws. Most of their more energetic tracks seem to have been put at the beginning of the album, whilst their slower tracks trail at the end. Mixing up the tempo would have worked better, as it’s difficult to concentrate on the album towards the end – your mind’s stuck with the adrenaline-fuelled tracks that opened the first half of the album.
Saying that, the hype that Beautiful Bodies has created is very, very real. They’re powerful and huge, and are looking to take over the world with their slick brand of pop-rock as they continue to establish their new blood status. Get ready.
JESS TAGLIANI