So Medieval
| So Medieval | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 12, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2023[1] | |||
| Studio | Hermitage Works Studios[1] | |||
| Genre | Indie rock,[2] post-punk[3] | |||
| Length | 36:13 | |||
| Label | The State51 Conspiracy[2] | |||
| Producer | Nathan Ridley[1] | |||
| Blue Bendy chronology | ||||
| ||||
So Medieval is the debut album by British indie rock band Blue Bendy, released on 12 April 2024 through the record label The State51 Conspiracy. The album makes use of ironic lyrics to tackle themes such as morality and existential dread. Its overall genre is unclear, being variously described as art rock and post-punk, and some songs fitting into genres such as baroque indie and post-rock. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Background and release
[edit]Blue Bendy began in 2017 after vocalist Arthur Nolan and guitarist Joe Nash moved to London from Scunthorpe. They originally made post-punk music, but soon turned more towards pop.[4] Their first EP, Motorbike, was released in 2022.[4][5] Pitchfork described it as "monologue-rock" and "handclap indie-pop".[2]
So Medieval was released on 12 April 2024.[3] It was preceded by the singles "Cloudy",[6] "Mr. Bubblegum",[7] "Come On Baby, Dig!", and "The Day I Said You'd Died (He Lives)".[8]
Style and composition
[edit]So Medieval follows a loose narrative about the narrator becoming dedicated to his band after a break-up.[2] According to NME, the album's lyrical style is "ironic" and "tackles the existential dread of our daily lives."[3] There are pop culture references throughout, including a reference to Kendall Roy in the track "I'm Sorry I Left Him To Bleed".[9] Pitchfork praised the "deadpan absurdity" of lyrics discussing "raw halloumi, a Formula One audiobook, and [...] 'shitpost sagas'".[2] The album as a whole discusses themes such as wealth and morality.[10]
Critics disagree on the genre of So Medieval. Pitchfork describes the album as indie rock and art rock[2] while NME describes it as post-punk.[3] The title track opens with "delicate baroque indie",[11] and "Cloudy" has been described as post-rock.[9] Nolan himself stated that "genre is dead as far as we're concerned. This album is all about the death of purity, embracing contrasts and everything being a big melting pot."[11] Many instruments are used throughout,[10] including keys, synths,[9] and guitars.[5]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[12] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[2] |
| NME |   [3] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[11] |
| DIY | [9] |
So Medieval has received generally positive reviews from critics. In a review for NME, Max Pilley described the album as "powered by longing, melodic riffs, but the sense of an impending cataclysm is never far away",[3] while Roisin O'Connor from The Independent wrote that it "never feels cluttered, despite its profound cacophony of instruments."[10] In a review for DIY, Daisy Carter stated that So Medieval "revels in its scope", describing the track "Darp" as an "undulating, guitar-led number that progresses with the steady power of a swelling wave" and its follow-up "Darp 2 / Exorcism" as "an exponential expansion that sees said wave eventually break into a moving and cathartic crescendo".[9] The Line of Best Fit's review by Marshall Grace summarises the lyrics as "like an audiobook during a car crash" and gave the album an 8/10,[11] which was also the score given by Clash[12] and Pitchfork.[2] NME and DIY both gave the album four stars out of five.[3][9]
Track listing
[edit]All lyrics are written by Arthur Nolan.[1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Medieval" | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Mr. Bubblegum" | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Darp" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Darp 2 / Exorcism" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "I'm Sorry I Left Him To Bleed" | 2:47 |
| 6. | "The Day I Said You'd Died (He Lives)" | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Come On Baby, Dig!" | 2:49 |
| 8. | "Sunny" | 1:46 |
| 9. | "Cloudy" | 6:20 |
| 10. | "Goodnight Bobby" | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 36:13 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "So Medieval, by Blue Bendy". Bandcamp. 12 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Monroe, Jazz (16 April 2024). "Blue Bendy: So Medieval". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pilley, Max (11 April 2024). "Blue Bendy – 'So Medieval' review: this arch, athletic album surprises at every turn". NME. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b Wray, Daniel Dylan (2 January 2023). "Blue Bendy: the south London post-punk pop band who fried Wire's brains". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b Cross, Reuben (12 April 2024). "Blue Bendy - So Medieval review: a labyrinthine debut which doesn't forego the fun". Overblown. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (5 April 2023). "Blue Bendy: "Cloudy"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (25 January 2024). "Blue Bendy Announce Debut Album So Medieval, Share Spooky New Video". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ Aimee, Rachel (8 March 2024). "Start Listening To: Blue Bendy". Still Listening. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Carter, Daisy (10 April 2024). "Blue Bendy - So Medieval". DIY. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Roisin (14 April 2024). "Blue Bendy frontman Arthur Nolan: 'I see a lot of myself in Kendall Roy'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Marshall, Grace (10 April 2024). "Blue Bendy: So Medieval Review". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Blue Bendy - So Medieval". Clash. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.