Details: Portobello Express "You Cry" 7" EP (2021, Abra FUN Records). Black vinyl, EU import. New stock. 4-Track 7" EP limited to 262 copies.

Description: "Vienna-based, female-fronted psychedelic blues band, Portobello Express, has upped the ante over lockdown, experimenting both sonically and lyrically to give us a new EP, ‘You Cry’, their most riffed up and rockiest offering to date.

The EP comprises 4 tracks, including two new ones: ‘Be Blues Revisited’ and ‘Only When She’s Gone’. ‘Be Blues Revisited’ is the kind of bluesy rock that we all need, combining frontwoman Betty’s powerful vocals with a seriously catchy main riff and 70’s vibe: ‘It's a new version of ‘Be Blues’ from our very first single,’ said Betty: ‘It has Maggie Bell-ish vocals and infectious guitar hooks with a 70’s retro feel. We wanted to pay homage to one of my fave singers and band, Stone The Crows.’

The other new track, ‘Only When She's Gone’, kicks off with feathery drums and a really hooky bass line and is a very personal song for Betty: ‘I made myself quite vulnerable with this one as it talks about my mother,’ she said. ‘Such lyrics are something I never would have done on previous recordings. This song helped me to identify the source of a lot of sadness and anger in my life.’

‘Highly Sensitive’, probably their best-known song to date and which was released as a single last year also features on the EP, a song that Betty describes as being about #respect and #kindnessmatters and, ultimately, herself: ‘I’m highly sensitive, unfortunately,’ she said. ‘I wanted a song with heavy rock at the start, with big drums, like US rock band Grand Funk Railroad, so I said to our drummer “Please don’t hold back, use the double bass drum!”'

The message of the song is clear, think before you speak: ‘Every time you open your mouth be sure you switched on your brain, millions of people, millions of faces, we are not all the same. Be kind, nice, and respectful. If you can hate, I can love.’
Betty describes the EP’s title track, ‘You Cry’, as a 'blues rock anthem about men’s unrealistic expectations in relationships,' which comes through strongly in the lyrics: ‘So don’t be angry if I tell you this one time, just stay on your own. Invent a woman who lives only in your mind and makes you more alone.’

‘With those two releases we tried to escape the frustration of being trapped through the pandemic and, at the same time, we wanted to give our followers some new material,’ Betty said. ‘We weren't sure if releasing an album made sense without performing live and maybe we simply didn't want its message to get lost in the noise of the pandemic. Despite the delay, the EP couldn't sound more relevant in a post-COVID world, it’s a decisive step forward in the band's evolution.’"-- Sara at The Bucket Playlist

Grade: M (new stock)

TRACK LISTING SIDE A:

A1. You Cry
A2. Only When She's Gone

TRACK LISTING SIDE B:

B1. Be Blues Revisited
B2. Highly Sensitive