EXCLUSIVE RELEASE + INTERVIEW: 'Sing Along with Mr Pink Noise' by Blossom & Burn

Move over Street Soldier- we have a new one man band on the horizon! Harry Barlow, going by the name of Blossom & Burn, has been working tirelessly for the past two years to create his new EP which will gracing our ears very shortly. Today, exclusively through yours truly, he has released a new song titled 'Sing Along with Mr Pink Noise' (featuring Tom Adams) which is the perfect mixture of hardcore, metal core and beatdown combined.

Only having help recording both the guest and gang vocals, Harry recorded the whole project by himself in his university recording studio. All of the hard work and dedication that has gone into this music is emphasised clearly by the clean cut production, tight guitars and hard as nails vocals throughout and is a project that should be applauded. It's certainly a breathe of fresh air for the Second City Hardcore and Beatdown scene and is only a taster of what is to come in future releases-we already can't wait.

We chatted with the man himself for a chat and discussed exactly what went into making these tracks.

So who are Blossom and Burn?

"Blossom & Burn is a beatdown/heavy hardcore project I’ve had in the works for well over a year now, with some song elements dating back further to a slam project I wanted to start and ideas for my old band, Tides Apart, that didn’t fit what we were doing. At the moment, it’s just me, which is why it is currently an online project. Beatdown has been one of my favourite genres for a long time now and I really wanted to create music in this style but at the same time show the genre can be more than just acting hard and recycled riffs."

This band has been in the making for some time, why has it taken so long to release the track? 

"I actually began recording the EP at the start of summer last year, but being a beginner vocalist at the time, I was only just starting to find my voice and learn how to write lyrics. By the time the first mixes came back, I’d already improved and so I decided to re-record all vocals on the release. The better part of this year has been spent just organising stuff for the release."

Tell us about the song "Sing along With Mr Pink Niose"

" ‘Sing Along With Mr. Pink Noise’ is about hitting a low point in your life and the conflicting emotions and thoughts that come with it. Whether that’s reaching out for help, rejecting the outside world, wishing it’d end or the constant pressure you put on yourself. It features Tom Adams, who was the vocalist for my old band Tides Apart, and when writing the vocal parts the only thing I could hear fitting for this section was his voice, plus I like the dynamic of our differing vocal styles being present. Musically, the song is very inspired by Knocked Loose and Desolated which are both big inspirations for me in general."

Would you want Blossom and Burn to bring back Second City Beatdown? What are your opinions of the Beatdown scene in the UK? 

"I’d love to see Birmingham get more involved in Beatdown again, but at the moment early 00s Metalcore is what most bands want to do which is fair enough. In general, the UK seems to have moved away from Beatdown in the past couple of years with bands like Desolated, Sentenced and Curbstomp calling it quits. Hopefully, with bands such as Cold Hard Truth, Full Contact and ClawHammer still going strong and newer projects like Street Soldier and possibly even Blossom & Burn people will gain more of an interest again. However, I’m not looking to start a resurgence; I just want to write hard music with meaning and hope that people enjoy it."

What are we expecting to see from Blossom and Burn in the future? 

"With the EP dropping next Friday (28th) you’ll most likely see a lot of push to try and spread it as much as possible. There’s also a big possibility of shows thanks to some friends who are interested in getting involved. Anyone who enjoys the release may also be interested to know that recording for future material is well under way. I have big plans for this project."

Finally, listen to the new Blossom & Burn song here and stay tuned to find out more about future releases:

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By Amy Demidow and Sam Hennerley