A lot has happened since The Kills released their last album 'Midnight Boom' back in 2008. Both members have been thrust increasingly into the limelight, with Alison Mosshart teaming up with Jack White and co to release two Dead Weather albums, while Jamie Hince has taken up Pete Doherty's mantle as the rocker suddenly made relevant to a certain demographic by shacking up with Kate Moss, albeit with fewer scandalous tabloid stories to entertain the masses. Whether these departures have directly affected the duo's fourth long player is highly debatable, but there's a definite development of their sound here as their punkish garage rock seems to glisten with a new sparkling sheen.
Mosshart's sultry croak and Hince's distortion fuelled guitar have always made a wonderful combo, and are complemented here by reggae beats ('Satellite'), rapid handclaps ('My Heart Is A Beating Drum') and sombre blues influences ('Pots and Pans'). Though the production seems more purposeful here than on previous records, 'Blood Pressures' is still a relatively raw affair, relying heavily on atmospheric crackles and hisses to plump up its simple harmonies and solid drum beats. It's difficult to sustain though, so while the riffs and hooks that introduce each track are initially gripping, it's not long before repetition strips them of their allure. 'Blood Pressures' fizzles towards the end too, as a lack of new ideas makes it difficult to hold interest for the entire duration. That said, one minute wonder 'Wild Charms', with its hints of Lennon, and the crackling waltz of 'The Last Goodbye' with its sweet string accompaniment, do their best break up the otherwise constant scuzzy rock.
Though occasionally absorbing, the end result is a little disappointing, if only because 'Blood Pressures' is an album that holds so much promise, but never quite manages to follow through.
