An amazing record is upon us as Louise Distras, a singer-songwriter from Yorkshire, is releasing her second album, “Beauty After Bruises,” on April 28 via the Ministry of Love Records Department.
Louise has admitted that she is often labeled as a punk artist, but describes herself as more than that and says that she writes songs straight from the heart. You can surely hear that in every song that she does as it always takes you out of life and into the music that she has laid before you.
For the upcoming album, she traveled to San Francisco to record with Ross Peterson at 25th Street Studios. However, the virus caused significant delays in the album’s completion, which was eventually finished with Stephen Street at Damon Albarn’s Studio 13 in West London.
Louise describes the album as a jagged, guitar-heavy pop record that is deeply personal and a brilliant musical journal of her life. She has put a range of human experiences, frustrations, and big questions into the songs. Louise explains that the album is about honoring the parts of herself that she previously overlooked.
The album features guest musicians such as Mick Talbot and offers a spectrum of sounds that range from Against Me!, to Bob Dylan, to classic ’80s British indie.
The album is an amazing whirlwind of sounds that is covered in dripping nostalgia. The album opens with a beast of a track, ‘Truth In Your Lies,’ which is so sticky to your head that you’ll want to listen to it over and over again. This is a prime example of how Indie should be done. The best part is that she does it again in the next track, ‘Girl In The Mirror,’ which showcases awesome vocal talent.
The next three songs slow it down a bit and it feels so natural. One thing I don’t think we talk about enough is pacing of albums and she does it correctly, which is such a treat to hear and to know that artist’s care about. A favorite in these three is ‘Broken Mondays’.
‘Forever Is You’ clocks in at track eight and this is my favorite track on the album. I love the way this sounds. It gives me this nostalgic feeling of driving down a highway with the sun shining on my face while driving in a convertible. It’s just such a joy.
Through the album, there are tons of sounds and influences and that’s what makes this one so special. The last track, ‘Keep On Trying’ finishes the album in a huge way. It’s almost like every sound you heard in the album is compiled here which is really smart and unique. I’m in love with this album.
Overall, “Beauty After Bruises” is an exceptional album that showcases Distras’ talent as a songwriter and musician. Her commitment to using her music as a tool for helping others via her lyrics is admirable, and her ability to combine punk rock energy with meaningful lyrics is truly impressive. This is a must-listen for fans of punk rock, Indie rock, and acoustic.
