Moose Blood – I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time

Cantubury emo quartet Moose Blood has done a bangup job of stirring up excitement with the current emo-revival scene across the pond.  It’s amazing how something as unintentional and simple as a British accent can enliven a sound in a scene riddled with copycats.  But in the case of Moose Blood, more impressive is their handling of intentional mechanics that have helped the band receive such traction over two quick years.  Such early success has been enough for stateside label No Sleep Records to take note and snap them up for the release of their debut full length – a good decision on their part.

The band’s first full length, I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time, offers up a moody amalgamation of modern emo revivalists Prawn and Dikembe with plenty of the nostalgic Brand New overtones we’ve all grown to love.  Like any communicative emo front man, Eddy Brewerton wears his heart on his sleeve, carving emotions into lyrics with his vulnerable delivery every bit as much as their literal imagery.  

Opener “Cherry” crawls in cautiously, quick to engross listeners with the album’s lone instance of simple guitar and weighted vocals.  The reserved execution will tug at listeners’ heartstrings in the same way that the Brand New classic “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” embeds itself so deeply into memory.  Even without representing that which lies ahead, Moose Blood will have listeners’ undivided focus from the get go.

Once I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time initially draws the crowd in close, the full band launches in with “Anyway.”  Though the sound may have grown to include backing vocals, percussion and an interplay of overlapping chords, the core remains personally appealing.  Introspection remains the name of the game as Moose Blood navigates the human condition.  Lines like “I wish I could start over” haunt stories making up songs like “I Hope You’re Missing Me” in which retrospect adds sorrowful layers to already painful memories.  Never one to be hurried, tracks like “Boston” ease their way in before fleshing out fully, making for a natural album ebb and flow.  Likewise, those concerned that the emo focus might translate into a sluggish sob-fest need only find reassurance with upbeat hooks circa “Pups” and “Kelly Kapowski.”  The lyrics can at times be simple, but the strength of the musical score takes everything up a notch.

All in all, I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time more than justifies Moose Bloods’ quick rise in the international emo circuit.  Never shy to emulate and honour the style of those that inspire them, the four-piece’s debut full length is willfully familiar with plenty of spunk for Moose Blood to call their own.  Easily one of the more promising debuts from a new upstart in the fray of the ongoing “emo revival.”