The Blinding - Have You Seen My Girl

The Blinding 

Have You Seen My Girl
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

The Blinding is a band from Glasgow, Scotland consisting of Stephen McGhee (vocals/guitar), David Taylor (bass) and Connor Smith (drums). They released a three-song EP entitled Have You Seen My Girl. The songs sounded familiar and recognizable right off the bat. 

​The title song kicks off combining blues, rockabilly, surf and rock with familiar tropes that most of  us have heard plenty of times. It sounds like a combination of like-minded artists like Chuck Berry to The Brian Setzer Orchestra. The lyrics felt just as familiar as the chord structure and rhythm of the song. McGhee weaves a classic tale about lost love. He sings, “Have you seen my baby she's not long in town, have you seen my sweetheart the prettiest girl around. Well have you seen my girl? She's as pretty as can be and she is leaving me.”

I enjoyed the title track but actually preferred the second track “See You Smile.” Mcghee’s voice sounds great here and I thought his voice sounded more natural within that octave range. It gives off a sense of melancholy that works quite well. I thought of Johnny Cash and would think he was an influence for this song. The instrumentation is also top notch. I loved the banjo work and the guitar picking together. The drumbeat also drives the music along with the walking bass line. 

Up next is “Dead Girl” but it feels quite different than anything that came before. It has a waltz Russian circus/Tom Waits type vibe. McGhee delivers another good vocal performance and works within a range I liked. 

The Blinding is releasing an album and I can't say I know what to expect from these three songs. They feel disparate and the title track almost sounds completely different from the last track. Short EP’s like this leading to an album should hopefully showcase the band's talent as well as their diversity and the elements that make them cohesive. I think they succeeded in two of the three. They have talent, they have diversity but felt the songs lacked some cohesion.

Overall, this EP showcases a lot of the potential for a killer album. I still thought every song was well written and enjoyable with the last two really getting my attention. I’m looking forward to the LP.

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