Stream: Band of Skulls, ‘Bodies’

Kevin Bronson on May 23rd, 2016

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Band of Skulls (Photo by Andy Cotterill)

U.K. trio Band of Skulls have made their mark by forging a raw, heavy blues sound that doesn’t make them sound like a bar band. Really hard in this day and age, but Matt Hayward, Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson are now on their fourth album (since 2009). They’re somehow embraced by new- and old-schoolers, the latter of whom tend to dismiss lesser bands and just go back to the source code. Speaking of new albums, Band of Skulls’ new “By Default,” produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Patti Smith), is out Friday. Hayward calls it a trip “back to square.” Adds Marsden: “It’s definitely a new era. The first three records were like a trilogy, a piece of work in of themselves. We wanted to do those things, and we did them all. We took a breath, took a look at what we’d done, and started from scratch again.” Longtime followers might be surprised by “So Good,” on which bassist Richardson takes lead vocals. For that matter, maybe the first official single “Bodies” too. Catchy.

||| Stream: “Bodies”