Sad Blood has an EP called Ultimate Worrier. Like, come on. Of course I’m going to like this record. It is a solid emo EP, and the title is a pro wrestling pun. It is one of the most solid example of things that are 100% in my wheelhouse. This is a short EP, so I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. So I’m going to use this time to talk about some other stuff, while I talk about the record. Is that cool? Ok.
I’ve spent the better part of the last three or four years listening to every goddamn emo record that was sent to me. Everything from bands who use PR companies to bands who self released one thing and never did anything again. There is a level of burn out that comes from that. Not because the bands were bad, but because so many of them were really fucking good. That whole thing has died down a little. Most of the bands I’m hearing now play some version of alternative rock that was popular in the mid-1990s. My palate is cleansed, and I’m excited to hear emo records again.
Sad Blood is a perfect example of the kind of stuff I love. They’re an emo band, but with really strong pop influence. Their sound fit in very well with bands like Dowsing, Free Throw, and The Promise Ring. The three songs on Ultimate Worrier have a lot of life and energy behind them. It’s just great from front to back. I hate to pick a standout song, especially on EPs, but “Party, Animal” is a fucking jam. It’s a record that has exactly what you want.
Will Sad Blood be another one of those one-and-done bands that flooded my inbox a few years ago? I hope not. I’d like to hear a lot more from them, because Ultimate Worrier is a hell of an introduction.
Team Reasonable 