Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of January 26th-February 1st, 2015:
Cruel Love - Cruel Love
01. God Is In The Bar
02. Beat To Love (w/Manchita
03. Dream Protector
04. Kissing In The Corner (w/Botzy, Beasthead, & Godelt)
05. H My Darlking
06. Free
07. Blind Love
08. Home
Back in September of 2013 I spent a week with Cruel Love's debut EP. In my write-up of that record I wrote that "Cruel Love is an electronic indie band from Minneapolis" and claimed that that was the entirety of my knowledge of the band. Here we are 15 months later and that's still essentially true.
Since that post the band's profile has certainly grown here in the Twin Cities. I now know that the band consists mainly of Bonnie Stitches on vocals & Mo Bluntz on pretty much everything else. They've collaborated with a host of local musicians (as evidenced by the guests on Cruel Love) and seem to be garnering a legitimate local following.
Cruel Love makes it obvious why their profile is rising. On the five song EP, Cruel Love sounded like a group that knew how to write a good song and then wrap it up in synths & echoes. In hindsight, that record seems like a trial run. Everything on Cruel Love sounds more fully realized.
Musically, the songs are still catchy, but far more expansive. The echoes & synths that gave the band's songs a unique sound on their first album have become full-fledged, essential parts of the equation on Cruel Love. Additionally, the drums hit harder and (especially on "Dream Protector" & "Kissing In The Corner") there's quite a bit of nifty guitar work. Without taking anything away from Bonnie Stitches vocals, Cruel Love would stand on its own as a purely instrumental.
But oh, those vocals. Stitches performance here is light years beyond what we heard on EP. Whether stealing your girlfriend, admitting her vulnerability in dreams, or merely sharing drinks with the song of God, Stitches sounds confident and sensual in ways that never occurred earlier. While being the lead singer in a two-person band inevitably means she'll be the de facto "image" of the band, that's a coup for Cruel Love. She's clearly at the doorstep of joining Dessa, Caroline Smith, & Maggie Morrison (and many, many others) as a leading voice in a Twin Cities scene that is seemingly overflowing with talented frontwomen.
If you'd like to check out Cruel Love for yourself (which I suggest you do immediately), head over to their Bandcamp page. Both Cruel Love & EP are available as "Name Your Price" downloads.
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