{"id":28444,"date":"2026-05-14T15:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28444"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:51:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:51:04","slug":"black-market-heart-what-happens-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28444","title":{"rendered":"Black Market Heart -\u2018What Happens in the Dark\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sometimes it is a simple mention in the PR\u2019s email that makes a difference. Here, it was a reference to Jesus and Mary Chain, which pushed this album up to the top of the listening stack. This trio from Los Angeles is all new to me, and they waste no time on this album, serving up 9 songs in under 25 minutes. They can deftly utilise distortion and feedback into their sound as an added musical element. For the old zine readers, this would be a band you would have read about in Flipside, Hit List, and others, as well as RIP magazine in the mid to late 90\u2019s. This band have made an immediate impression on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title track roars to life with that JAMC influence apparent, but the band still have their own identity. The chorus here is simple but effective. Musically, the album has a very live feel. \u2018Don\u2019t Fit Anywhere\u2019 might be my favourite song here, with the urgent tempo and sound reminding me a bit of Bratmobile crossed with an old school Misfits type chorus. There is a cool rhythm to \u2018Radio Smash\u2019 that feels a bit hypnotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The middle third of the album reminds me again of JAMC where the band use a catchy chorus and feedback to create a hook-filled rocker. Cathartic chaos might best describe the awesome \u2018Self Destruct with Me.\u2019 Lyrically, this one also jumps out of the speaker. It\u2019s probably not recommended to fill a pool with gasoline, but it makes quite the image in my head when Spencer Robinson describes it. I hear some Gun Club influences in \u2018Without My Pills.\u2019 I really like the drum fills in the chorus by Shawn Medina and really his work across the whole album is spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final third of the album kicks off with the rapid-fire beat of \u2019My Brain is Poison.\u2019 The chorus is again simplistic but powerful. The band switch things up a little with the lighter and still catchy cover of \u2018Give Me Power\u2019 where it sounds like bassist Tina Brugnoletti\u2019s backing vocals are more noticeable in the chorus. The band closes out the album with the insurgency of \u2018Coyote.\u2019 The trio feels completely in sync musically with some well-placed \u2018ooohs\u2019 deep in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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