21st August 2023

Review: “Don’t Dream Too Much” by Knife Bride

Described by vocalist Mollie Buckley as “a trilogy of my gruesome dreams. A one night cycle of disturbing visions”, the debut EP “Don’t Dream Too Much” from Brighton based Nu-Gothika outfit Knife Bride is said to proudly pay homage to powerful, nuanced women such as The Bride from Kill Bill. Brought to life at The Ranch Production studios by Neil Kennedy (Creeper, Milk Teeth, Boston Manor) and Lewis Johns (Palm Reader, Ithaca, Employed to Serve), it follows a string of singles in 2022 which found the band surpassing 192k of Spotify streams alone. They claim influences as wide ranging as Spiritbox and Kate Bush, as well as Bring Me The Horizon which just leaves the question… what the hell is “Nu-Gothika” when it’s at home?

The answer to that appears to be a blend of Pop with Nu-Metal and Gothic Rock as Buckley, joined by guitarist and backing vocalist Sean Windle, drummer Sean Millsopp, bassist Craig Glynn and backing vocalist and synth master Lauren Wise demonstrate. Rather than sounding new and fresh, “Smother (Make Me Suffer)” sounds like a re-animated cut from 1999 that has been brought up to date with modern production values in a kind of cool nostalgic way. Buckley’s sultry vocal thinly veiling a lyrical narrative that pokes fun at the male gaze, while being wrapped in a tasteful “There is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven Let’s Keep it a Secret” era Bring Me The Horizon riff. Continuing the theme with a little buried electronica and a couple of tapped riffs “Sacrifice/Surrender” has at its heart another wide ranging vocal performance while benefitting from the weight of the staccato riff breaks meaning it packs a punch. Playing with spoken, sung and screamed moments works because each has its place in a well thought out single, the power from the rhythm section the driving force. “Permanent Smile” rounds out the unholy trilogy and is one that could easily be a demo from the new Butcher Babies album, such is the quality of the clean vocals and crunch of the guitars. As a band Knife Bride are never afraid to pull out a breakdown or mosh part and as long as they don’t disturb those Alternative Metal leanings when a major label comes calling then they won’t loose their appeal. As a band with this this record they reach their sixth song and while there are a few obvious opportunities for refinement, they have something here [7.5/10]

Track Listing