Died in Your Eyes

When I reviewed this album for this esteemed publication in December, I was possibly too harsh. Even then, I called it “a solid effort”, particularly seeing as it was The Piccadilly Teardrops’ first full record, but as with any good album, it’s grown on me a lot since then.

Died in Your Eyes touches on several genres – pop, dance, ballads and their self-defined ‘nu-dystopia’ – and you sense the next release will be more focused, narrowing in on one of these influences. The range is vast, from the experimental ‘Scream’ to the creepy, spoken-word eponymous fourth track, via more accessible and catchy efforts like the singles ‘Struggle’ and ‘Got Your Back’.

It’s the dystopian element that’s most attractive about this album, with a heady mix of apocalyptic beats and lyrics and gritty Sheffield realism. It’s easy to see how that came to be the standout theme when you learn that the record was recorded last winter in the basement of Portland Works, “with just a bottle of vodka and the cold, damp air for company”.

The Piccadilly Teardrops, a collaboration between local artist Kid Faces and renowned producer Dean Honer, represent a promising new sound on the Sheffield scene. Standout tracks ‘You’re Never Mine’ and ‘Pollen’ deserve more attention, but perhaps this album, described by Kid Faces as “unrelentingly miserable”, is better off as a well-kept secret.

Dan Rawley