BLOOD RED SHOES
Ghosts On Tape VELVETEEN
Rejuvenated duo delve deep
7/10
It’s been half a lifetime since Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter began making music together as Blood Red Shoes, but nothing about their sixth album sounds like business as usual. Refreshed by time spent independently exploring their own musical interests (Ansell electronica and production work; Carter an Americana-inspired solo album) and inspired by true crime documentaries and podcasts, the duo sought to explore the darker side of the human psyche, leaning into haunted house synth lines and gothic horror bass. Ansell stretches his voice to breaking point on creepy opener “Comply”; Carter pitches somewhere between obsession and problematic glamour on noise-rock centrepiece “Morbid Fascination”.