Rising from Gold Coast, Australia, Hardcore quintet Blind Girls redefines standards with their own brand of the genre. With their new album, An Exit Exists (Persistent Vision Records), the band proves they know how to keep listeners on their toes.

With most tracks under two minutes long, the album speeds by while strategically fitting in a wide spectrum of Hardcore styles and emotions. It succeeds in its main goal of making you feel as much as possible in a short amount of time, like a cathartic slap in the face.

Kicking right into the blazing ruckus of “Dissonance,” this album does not waste any time. The band immediately starts wreaking havoc with shrieking screams, clashing drums, panic chords and half-time palm mutes. “Loveless” then opens with a sense of imminence that will have you on the edge of your seat. Its spiraling riffs capture the feeling of a nervous breakdown, while being perfect for moshing and Hardcore dancing your problems away.

Despite all the chaos, An Exit Exists is a dynamic Hardcore record that vividly depicts every emotion that comes with enduring abuse. On songs like “Blemished Memory” and “Less Than Three,” that crushing weight is portrayed through thrashing drums like a racing heartbeat one moment, to delicate guitar mourns over distant screams the next.

The fatigued interlude tracks “Pallid Mask” and “Death Of An Unsung Thought” sit like the silent dissociation felt amidst all the pandemonium, elevating the lucid and stimulating listening experience. And then there’s the harrowing “Closer To Hell” intensifying things further with its siren-like riffs and screeching feedback. 

The penultimate “…It’s Starting To Rain” features a bit of spoken word over an eerie wall of noise, building into clamoring guitars and blast beats. “Home Will Find Its Way” then closes the album, wielding riffs that are melodic yet still carry that frenzied turbulence. The drums exclamate this tenfold, pushing and pulling suddenly in every direction.

An Exit Exists is the perfect album for any Hardcore fan who is craving something a little different that doesn’t stray from the genre’s defining qualities. With this album, Blind Girls show just how much depth the normally simplistic style can have.

Buy the album here:
https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/blind-girls-an-exit-exists-lp

8 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY