ALBUM REVIEW: Bliss – Incisions

When faced with tough times, the working class nature of punk music is always there as a voice of like minded people. On their second album Bliss, Manchester’s INCISIONS bring 20 minutes of catharsis right to your doorstep by exhaling their daily disputes. It’s a straight-up 0-60 mph punk record which means whilst there is no pulling a rabbit out of a hat trick here, no punches are pulled either. 

Throughout the album’s runtime, this approach never shifts too far off that centre line and just like all good punk music, that gives it it’s honesty. INCISIONS aren’t trying to be something that they aren’t, they know the appeal of what they do and this is where they give that to you without burying the lead. The combination of the classic punk runaway train momentum that drives from track-to-track mixed with an urgent vocal performance from Jordan Lloyd gives this record it’s speed. The one moment where the runtime delivers an instant change of pace is on the second to last track titled Better. It serves as the album’s acoustic ballad and gives the lyrical content a bit more room to breathe before the record closes on a 39-second rager that aims to swing the momentum back the other way.

Guitarist Martin Battle does a good job of keeping it interesting when the band aren’t all pushing forward with full punk force, his riffs also shine in those moments too. These sections where there is a bit more room to breathe add a lot to the tracks and are too few and far between when looking at the records duration. Though the 12-tracks are short and to the point, they can become repetitive when it’s one after another with not a lot of variation. The song writing takes a backseat to the punk vibe of the album and in some ways that gives the record it’s punk charm. On the flip side of that, it sacrifices staying power as once you’ve heard a minute of this record, you’ve heard the rest of it and you’ve also heard that minute done elsewhere. 

There is nothing wrong with a 20-minute no frills punk record. It does exactly what it says on the tin but it feels like there is more fun to be had in the moments where it isn’t so focused on living up to that initial pitch. That’s not to say the the record isn’t good; the punk energy from INCISIONS is very authentic here and if that’s what you’re after, come and get your 20 minutes of therapy. When viewed in that lane, Bliss does a good job of living up to the punk way of life.

Rating: 6/10

Bliss is out now via TNSRecords. 

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