Album Review- Ŕênovations- Blank

Album Review by Anselm Anderson

I have found that many bands come with remarkable stories of how they were discovered. Rènovations are no different. The trio have released Blank, the self-produced follow-up to their debut album. The band were granted funding through a Help Musicians UK Funding campaign last year to get the album released. Engineered by Graeme Young, the band recorded the album at Chamber Studios.

The Electronic Rock act hails from Edinburgh, Scotland and their story began four years ago when French vocalist Charlotte Pulcino was offered a gig upon her return from a trip to Thailand. There was one catch- she needed a band. Charlotte contacted Italian drummer Gian Pablo Sudar and Romanian guitarist Ioana Pavel and, following a few drinks at the local pub: A band was formed.

The album itself has been described as " a social, cultural and political commentary" with quite a lot of topics to cover. The album begins with an aggressive opener in 'A Precious Stone', a track with a punchy electronic beat with a mesmerising chant-like verse. This is a good introduction to the band.

Photo Credit: Giulia Sansone

Next up is 'Bed in The Bathroom', a tale about makeshift COVID testing centres, The soulful vocal harmonies over bluesy riffs reflect the gloominess of the situation. The band try to make each track different with a mixture of sounds ranging from blues, pop, rock and electronica to create an environment for these different observations of society. 'Time is a Common Place' is a pop punk track with a rousing chorus, whilst 'Scars' is a daunting tale of trusting your instinct. The hazy intro, irregular beat and sonic synth sound create a sense of uneasiness.

The album leans more towards commercial pop to create atmospheric tracks like 'Larguéé' the catchy 'Forest' and the ultra-sonic 70's dance beats of 'Grind of Mentality' to deliver pervasive messages about Social Media and manipulation. The band sounds like they gain influences from Blondie, Lady Gaga and Garbage to tell stories the average listener can relate to. 

And finally, the trippy 'Euphoria' reflects a night out at a rave club and the dark, instrumental 'Sphere' questions the urgency of our reality.

Overall, Blank offers a fresh perspective on storytelling through an atmospheric and haunting reimagining of social values fresh from Scotland.

Connect with Rénovations:

Official Website: https://renovationsband.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renovationsband/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RenovationsBand

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@renovationsband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/r3novations