Carol Hodge – The Crippling Space Between

Carol Hodge was a new name to me until the start of August when she was on the H.I.T.S. 25 festival line up that was a last minute replacement for the much missed Rebellion Festival. I will always try and find something new at a festival rather than seeing the usual suspects that are faithfully trotting through their crowd pleasing greatest hits sets. Standing in a Pavillion Stage in the Blackpool Winter Gardens I found that when I witnessed Carol Hodge deliver a mesmerising set that brought something very different to that day. A set that saw me scampering off to her merch desk to get my hands on whichever album contained the song she finished her set with, this turned out to be Stop The World In It’s Tracks from her debut full length, Hold On To That Flame

So what was it that struck me about her set? despite her history of working with Crass legend Steve Ignorent she delivered a minimalistic set that just featured Carol’s vocals and a keyboard. Her debut album was built upon this formula with some minor accompaniment, but the core of the album was based around that minimalistic combination. Just over a month later and I find a copy of Carol’s upcoming new album, The Crippling Space Between, on my doorstep , now freshly uploaded, and with expectations raised after a spellbinding live set and her debut album nestled in my collection, I hit play.

The Moan Of A Thousand Years kicks things off, it sees Carol’s stunning vocals and keyboards accompanied by full band that recalls the soul spirit of Ronnie Spector whilst channelling new wave. This is followed by the haunting Twenty Miles Up & Curtain To Fall that are both closer to the stripped down live set I witnessed last month, whilst the stirring Everything Here Is A Joke brings a off kilter that possesses a distinct dissonance between the verse and downbeat chorus. The stunning single So Much For The Summertime brings a timely reminder of the time lost to Covid and the fast approaching winter months whilst the The Best Thing In This Town addresses past regrets in tear jerking style.

This brings a strident beat before morphing into a a track that recalls Sparks in their heyday before we return to Carol’s trademark heartfelt, life affirming and determined style with Saviour Ship and the perfect pop moment of Scream Of The Sea. Finally Along For The Ride and An Eye For An Eye bring The Crippling Space Between to a heartfelt close. If you want something melodic and thought provoking that comes at the punk ethic from a fresh perspective then you really should check out The Crippling Space Between. This is not a punk album as such, in as much as it isn’t permanently in the red, but what Carol’s latest full length delivers is a haunting soundtrack that, like her appearance at H.I.T.S. 25, brings a thoughtful and beautiful pause amidst the more typically decibel orientated elements of the punk scene.

You can pre-order The Crippling Space Between via Bandcamp and direct from Carol Hodge