REVIEW: Fullbloods – Playing It Safe

K.C.-based multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter Ross Brown (Shy Boys, Snacky) records and performs as Fullbloods and returns with Playing It Safe, his long-awaited new album, out now on High Dive Records.  The excellent new album is built upon Brown’s blissful, 70’s-inspired indie-pop melodies, strange synths, funk textures and elements of folk-pop for another lushly-layered musical trip.   

Standouts include the groovy album opener, “Troubleshooter” with its funky bass, stabbing synths and lead guitar heroics; and the single, “Fish In A Bowl” with its sly lyrics and layered vocal melodies over a bubbly beat.  The more solemn and subdued “Writing It Down”, features cyclical finger-picked acoustic guitar and weeping slide guitar melodies for a change of pace.  Later, “Warrior 2” and “No Hesitation” both stand out with their thick yet effervescent 80’s-inspired synth-bass lines and catchy melodies.

Ross Brown’s studio project Fullbloods and new album Playing It Safe is what makes music so much fun; equal doses of instantly familiar nostalgia and wild sounds and memorable melodies that bring a smile to your face.        

For more info: www.fullbloods.com & https://www.highdivekc.com/bands/fullbloods/

Watch the video for “Fish In A Bowl”: