Bloxx – ‘Lie Out Loud’

The latter end of the last decade brought us an influx of new indie bands to fall in love with, all providing their very own flavour of fun, catchy, and often tear jerking tunes. 

Among this onslaught of young, fresh and fabulous new indie bands sit Bloxx – a four-piece from West London who have, over the past four years, been releasing hit after hit, building up a fanbase faster than you can say ‘key change’. Erring on the more poppy side of the genre, this band stand loud and proud, levels above many of their peers, their jovial and youthful personalities seeping into their music and making them the most lovable of the lot.

We’ve always known they were a band worth screaming about, and if you weren’t already on our page, ‘Lie Out Loud’ is about to change that.

Well-known for their catchy verses and huge choruses, you won’t be disappointed as the album kicks off with title track ‘Lie Out Loud’, immediately hitting you with the kind of riff you’ll find stuck in your head for days, combined with perfectly integrated synths and front woman Ophelia ‘Fee’ Booth’s faultless vocals bringing it all together. 

This track sets the tone for the whole record, as we’re treated to song after wonderful song, each further highlighting the band’s potential. ‘Coming Up Short’, for example, takes us on a journey from the lowest points of Booth’s vocal range to the very top as she sings of a fear of commitment many of us will be able to relate to in some way. In fact, the entire record screams ‘relatable’ if you’ve ever been young and in love, as ‘Go Out With You’, for example, touches on a juvenile kind of obsession that can hit you at any age, and the bass driven ‘5000 Miles’ speaks of wistful longing for a long-distance lover. 

As well as writing lyrics that can often hit you like a punch to the gut (in the best way possible), what Bloxx do best is write songs that, regardless of topic, will have you feeling energised and peppy within seconds of the opening notes. Even the bitter and angry ‘Thinking About Yourself’ will have you ditching the sofa in favour of your dancing shoes, and it’s a fire that burns on well into the album’s third single, ‘Off My Mind’ – a clear contender for the band’s strongest and most fun single yet, despite its frustrated lyrical undertones. 

The latter is also one of a handful of tracks on the record where bassist Paul Raubišķis is given his moment to shine, this bass line secondary only to the one that drives ‘Give Me the Keys’ and only slightly ahead of the edgier ‘It Won’t Work Out’. These tracks are made for a summer road trip (or, let’s be honest, a road trip in any season), bass and volume cranked to full as you aggressively sing along to every word with your best mates.

That said, with this record, Bloxx have also proven themselves to be kings and queen of the classic pop ballad too, as they address the pain of things falling apart through Booth’s smoothest vocals in the album’s longest track, ‘Changes’. If there’s ever going to be a moment to pull out the tissues, it’s this one, closely followed by the soft and acoustic ‘What You Needed’ – a gentle respite from the bubblegum infused chaos that makes up the rest of the record. 

Refusing to leave you on a downer, however, Bloxx close off the record with the perfect finale in ‘Swimming’. This is a song that combines killer riffs and fierce drum beats to create a massive anthem that feels like the very definition of closure. If you close your eyes you can almost picture it closing off a sweaty and exhilarating live show, and hopefully in the not too distant future, this daydream can become a reality.

It’s absurd for a debut album to be this strong, with every track as enjoyable as the next, but Bloxx have knocked it out of the park with ‘Lie Out Loud’ and shown plenty of growth between their last EP and this monumental release. It’s only a matter of time before this band start their sharp ascent of festival bills, see themselves booking even larger venues, and appear on some of Spotify’s biggest playlists. And we can’t bloody wait.

YASMIN BROWN