To say Pupil Slicer made an explosive entrance would be an understatement. Their 2021 debut album Mirrors seemingly came out of nowhere, the raw and deeply personal slab of chaotic mathcore that captivated the UK underground and found its way onto many outlets’ favourite releases of the year. In the years since, their relentless work ethic for playing live shows and festivals across Europe has seen the anticipation for their next album reaching a fever pitch. No one knew what to expect in terms of following up their debut, but when the band released title track and lead single ‘Blossom’, it is safe to say expectations were expertly subverted. The in your face mathcore edge had ostensibly taken a bit of a back seat to melodic hooks, clean vocals and catchy choruses. Yet still, even with the apparent sudden genre shift, all of the physical release pre-orders sold out within a week, those in the know desperate to get their hands on a copy.
Fortunately for die-hard fans of the debut, Blossom has not lost that mathcore essence whatsoever, it has merely been refined and fused with a wider array of influences, soundscapes and textures. Described by the band as a hard science fiction/cosmic horror rock opera, Blossom is very much an experience that is worth consuming in a single sitting rather than focusing on individual singles. Vocalist Kate Davies stepped back somewhat from the raw, biographical lyricism from Mirrors and instead infused personal experiences through the lens of an otherworldly narrative. With the conceptual protagonist losing touch with reality after encountering a signal of alien origin, Blossom takes listeners on a journey through another plane of existence where reality is distorted. Forced to inflict destruction upon others and question the nature of existence itself before attempting to accept reality and reach a point of serenity, the album centres around the themes of abject despair, reincarnation and hell.
“When the band released title track and lead single 'Blossom', it is safe to say expectations were expertly subverted.”
This sci-fi based concept is showcased throughout Blossom’s wider soundscapes, using noise and synthesisers to craft cosmic layers supporting the bands core sound. Introductory track ‘Glaring Dark of Night’ opens the album with atmospherics and noise, a gentle yet slightly distorted piano melody playing before being interrupted by piercing noise, the aforementioned alien signal, leading straight into most recent single ‘Momentary Actuality’. Blastbeats and Kate’s howling screams bring the album to life, the polyrhythmic mathcore soul peaking its head out fairly soon into the album, before swinging wildly into a massive melodic chorus with ethereal clean vocals that almost sound angelic as well as alien. This is true throughout Blossom as a whole; Pupil Slicer have worked hard to create a cohesive blend of that abrasive core with far more melodic influences creating something that retains what hooked fans in the first place whilst building upon it greatly.
Second single ‘No Temple’ and the track immediately following ‘Terminal Lucidity’ are the closest the band come to the unfiltered ferocity of Mirrors, but still not without change, with both having strong industrial textures adding to the frenetic and tense energy. There are complete unexpected shifts present as well, ‘The Song at Creation’s End’ marks the longest song on the album, and possibly the highlight of the album, as well as a definitive mid-point in the journey. Reminiscent of the emotive blackened post-hardcore energy of Svalbard, the track is quite a slow and emotional affair compared to others. Employing post-rock feeling guitar atmospherics, prominent piano chords and clean vocals dominating the first half before reaching an emotional climax and succumbing to an ungodly hook that moves the energy into big rhythmic swings and mathcore chaos for a very deliberate and stark tonal shift. ‘The Song at Creation’s End’ is a highly emotional affair for the listener that closes what would be Side A of the record, leaving the final moments of the first half hearing reverb drenched distant piano chords and soft, muted crying as the rest of the instrumental fades out.
The same unexpected shifts can be said of the final two songs ‘Dim Morning Light’ and the title track. The former with an introduction that feels similar in emotional intensity to the introduction of Deftones’ ‘Sextape’, breaking into a near pure shoegaze track, whilst also being an ode to blackgaze bands like Deafheaven at times when the intensity picks up and the more abrasive elements are embraced wholeheartedly. ‘Blossom’ is in a category of its own, released as the debut single for the album, the title track threw the anticipatory audience a wild curveball. However, now in context as the album’s closing track, it doesn’t feel that alien at all, more of an amalgamation of the melodic leaning elements the band toyed with throughout the rest of the project, realised as a singular concept and a phenomenal choice to close the album on.
“All of the performances from Pupil Slicer are frankly, incredible”
All of the performances from Pupil Slicer are frankly, incredible. Luke Fabian’s mind-melting bass chops and Josh Andrew’s absurdly talented drumming make for arguably the strongest rhythm section in the UK underground scene. Frank Muir’s small frenetic mathcore derived hooks and incredible solos, paired with Kate’s contribution on rhythm guitar for the more melodic and layered atmospheric moments can be breathtaking. The same could be said for the incredibly wide range of vocal styles employed by Davies throughout. From the unhinged screams featured prominently on the debut, to ethereal layered clean vocals with some light autotune, all of which at times are layered and blended at deliberate moments that really lend to the conceptual themes. Changing from sounding demonic, to alien and other-worldly, as well as having some spoken word passages on extended interlude ‘Language of the Stars’. This is all combined with a plethora of synthesis, atmospherics and noise that has been infused into the bands core sound and is present in some form on all ten-tracks. Whether the prominent glacial synth introduction of ‘Terminal Lucidity’, or the extensive blending of noise and layered synthesis into the soundscape throughout tracks like ‘Creating the Devil in Our Image’, the distorted drum-and-bass intro beat of ‘No Temple’ or the industrial influenced atmospherics operating in ‘Terminal Lucidity’. Producer Lewis Johns has done a phenomenal job not only bringing out the best in the band, but balancing such a wide array of textures and tones across Blossom.
It comes as no surprise that, when all is said and done, Blossom is a must listen and a magnificent step forward for Pupil Slicer. Whilst some may prefer the more raw, unfiltered mathcore chaos of their debut Mirrors, the progression the band have made in such a short time is nothing short of miraculous. They have taken their core sound and weaved it into something a little more palatable for a wider audience by focussing on powerful hooks, strong melodic passages and monumental choruses, but also superior in every way to their debut without losing that cataclysmic edge. Pupil Slicer have crafted a classic with Blossom and it’s worth every second of your attention.