The Murder Capital – Blindness

There's been an awful lot of promise about The Murder Capital, their debut When I Have Fears had them marked as one's to watch. The follow up, in 2023's Gigi's Recovery, had them poised to take the world as their own. Now, while the band have harnessed a sound they can call their own, they've never quite made it further than indie-darlings of note and made it into the stadiums that some of their peers have set up as home. Is that trend set to change on Blindness, TMC's third record in six short years?

From the opening track, Moonshot, it’s clear that this record is a departure from their debut, pushing boundaries and exploring new depths of sound and feeling. Swirling squalls and tight hi-hat fills bolt out of the traps with a sense of urgency and intensity.

It’s a masterclass in sonic contrast, where moments of brooding tension explode into raucous crescendos, these themes create an album that is taut, tense and, it must be said, not without challenges.

"There's what's in front of us, in our immediate field of vision. There are the things we can touch, the love we can feel. Then there’s everything else. Blindness is the warped belief. The behind us. The secluded. Love at a distance. Faith in denial. Distorted patriotism. The fading face of moments in the rear view. Blindness brings it all into focus." – James McGovern, via a September 2024 press release.

The album is defined by its bold experimentation, with the band expanding on their post-punk roots and incorporating elements of noise rock, industrial, and even moments of electronic flair. You'll have heard us play the exceptional  single Words Lost Meaning a great deal on Today Radio, but it's tracks like A Distant Life and Death of a Giant that are a testament to The Murder Capital’s growth, featuring jagged, distorted guitar riffs and pulsing bass lines that collide with gripping, anguished vocal lines.

James McGovern’s deeply personal delivery is nothing short of captivating—ranging from quiet, almost whispered introspection to cathartic, visceral shouts that hit so much harder in a live setting than on record. Taking in themes of isolation, self-doubt, and the struggle for clarity amidst chaos.

What truly sets Blindness apart is its sense of cohesion and narrative flow. Despite the genre-bending experimentation, the album feels like a cohesive piece of art that evolves in real-time. In a forthcoming interview with Cathal Roper, we touch on how much effort has been put into having each track seamlessly transition into the next, with the album’s pacing allowing for moments of quiet contemplation allowing you to catch breath as the next waves come crashing over you. It is not going to appeal to all of those fans of jingly, jangly A.I assisted pop, yet there's plenty to get your teeth into over repeated listens.

The production – courtesy of David Wrench (Blossoms, Bloc Party, Caribou, Young Fathers, The Manic Street Preachers, Sampha) – is both expansive and tight and there’s a level of confidence here that wasn’t as apparent in their debut, and it’s clear that The Murder Capital has become fully comfortable in who they are and wanted to be.

Blindness is a record that firmly cements The Murder Capital’s place at the forefront of post-punk (even if the band may reject that genre labelling), and makes you excited to see just how much further they can push their sound in the future.

4/5

Blindness is out now via ATC Management.

© Hugo Comte / ATC Management